Two Poems

First published in swim meet lit mag, issue 1, Jan 2022

What We Know

found poem from Juli Berwald’s TIME article on jellyfish

We electrify your dreams

undulating in a primal rhythm

Our polyps used to bloom

only once in a generation

We became stories fishermen shared

with their sons over dinner

Ribboning the sea, we feel the threat

of swelling heat to come now

as we chase screaming beachgoers

from knee-deep shallows

When Hurricane Henry billowed

our indigo sails, dozens died

in the deluge while you ignored

our thrumming red warning

Our stingers predict your fate

Blink and you’ll miss it

You already have.  

& Release

I never wanted to hurt

him, only needed to get home

to my wife and kids

I remember salt spray lashing

our backs. How pig

headed we were to ignore

storm warnings that day

so the bay picked us apart

easier than peeling prawns

for the little ones come Christmas

I saw the gutless shape

of him bloat orange as he pulled

on our only life jacket

He flashed the boning knife

or did I? Someone slipped

or was pushed overboard

I’ve felt my girls’ kisses

tickle my face. I’ll kiss

them back, keep them safe

in my lap. Let them know

I didn’t catch anything

this time. If I did, I’d have

kissed it and let it go.