pond / reflecting (1)
pond / reflecting /
the red eye of the morning sun / this
is now / is elation /
is a meaning made
birds ablaze / is a place for orange
increments /
hear our call to green /
those who escape
pitch dark /
with limb numbers the same /
gather here / rejoice / rejoice.
_ _ _ _ _
pond / reflecting (4)
pond / reflecting / a web of branches /
tireless work of water boatmen /
on oily surfaces /
to catch / to consume / to catch / consume /
they will be here all day /
provided that / fish /
keep to themselves /
it is not their intent to do so /
fish / must / catch to consume.
_ _ _ _ _
pond / reflecting (7)
pond / reflecting /
delicate dances of mayflies /
we do die / but provide a parenthesis /
for the time being we avoid brutality /
weightlessness /
is an armour / is an incantation /
air resplendent / air replete with our simple intent /
to make / more / mayfly.
_ _ _ _ _
pond / reflecting (10)
pond / reflecting / nothing
tonight /
night moonless / a dark monochrome /
fish-bait hiding within
the sleep of fish /
in layers congealed /
water slabs immobile /
a wait a wait a wait /
we do not measure time /
but believe it passing /
hence our wait for / dawn.
_ _ _ _ _
pond / reflecting (12)
pond / reflecting /
slow / low / walking / shelled silence /
of masked turtle / knee-deep in silt / mud /
the decaying of yesterdays / of old
reed / old
fish /
old / another word for / young / for new /
living in offers of minuscules /
we make small / big /
we make dead / living.
_ _ _ _ _
pond / reflecting (13)
violence gotten and given /
caught / catching / eating and eaten /
we / form collective / form ensemble /
shapes swapped endless /
shaped ensemble / form collective /
catching / caught / endless / swapped /
ensemble gotten caught catching.
_ _ _ _ _
pond / reflecting (17)
pond / reflecting /
a tall blue heron /
i am everything i see /
everything i hear /
my multiple forms /
me as a frog /
me as a snail /
me as larva /
me tadpole /
me twigs tangled into the nest of
me / feeding young vulnerable
me in-to large capable me /
hunter onto me.
_ _ _ _ _
pond / reflecting (19)
pond / reflecting /
transient pokes / air
harvested at the surface /
need air /
need more / air /
to cover the body before we dive /
we use strategies /
a hairy leg /
a tube /
a hook /
inner and outer storage /
insects harvesting air /
a stratagem / a home /
a patient bubble.
_ _ _ _ _
pond / reflecting (27)
pond / reflecting /
scents of the air we swallow
whole / my mouth
a circle newborn /
a hunger for the surface /
i build a body with whatever life
is found there / life
of larvae / life
of flies /
i grow them into a backbone /
a dorsal fin /
an eye /for hunting
more.
pond / reflecting (29)
pond / reflecting /
a bloated fish in dresses violet / a
fall / an accident / nobody’s
fault / an incident
devoid of meaning /
when i live / i live /
when i die / i die but live on
as fungus / worm / and firefly /
we do not cry over dead fish /
gut spilled /
into new chances.
✰
Lorelei Bacht enjoys tinkering with words. Sometimes, beauty happens. Some recent / upcoming work in Harpy Hybrid Review, Beir Bua, Backslash Lit, Sinking City, Mercurius, The Selkie, Abridged and elsewhere. Also on Twitter: @bachtlorelei and on Instagram: @lorelei.bacht.writer
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