head bobbing above water
a single sultana in a bowl of milk
ears dipped under the surface so you hear
nothing but the vibrations of waves
the steady inhale and exhale of your own breath
yes, i am one with the ocean
my grandfather was born on a distant island
where sappho loved and died
and this body was born encircled by the coast
i am nothing but water and salt and ancient greek poetry
my name is bitter sea
my name is carvings on whale bones

she is floating beside me
with her magnetic pulse and cloak of
90s drag i wonder how we got to this point
how i got to this point and when
the anxiety attack will surely hit

is it the water that soothes me
or her pink hair?
she smiles and rolls onto her back
closes eyes, drifts away
i reach out to touch her face
but there is nothing
the sea     d r a g s            me                       out

pink glitter smears her cheekbones
glowing softly underneath midnight’s eye
like fluorescent worms
small pulsing lights spread across cave walls
guiding my passage through unfamiliar territory
but waitomo is beyond the pacific and
she is right here
raising her arms to capture the thread of a tapestry donated
by past lovers, beside dust molecules and overgrown plants
our eyes meet and the cave walls unfurl
teach me how to french kiss
and i will teach you how to cross-stitch

my body is nothing but ocean
and vivid black sky and i feel whole
she is somewhere floating behind me
solid and present while i am
nothing but liquid stars
she reaches for me and i sink into the womb