By: Mya Alexice
Barnard College, NY, USA
you come
from the root krake,
meaning an unnaturally
twisted creature.
I could never pinpoint where
you began and where you ended,
always a writhing thing—
spiral staircase, sea
serpent drawn on an old map
half body arched up, the other
hidden in green water;
curling, coiling around me.
when i try to latch onto you,
to grab you by your oily neck—
it’s like trying to catch smoke.
I see you— there— slithering out
of reach. Nothing but a wet
dream, a tentacled lover easing
back into the abyss.
were you only myth?
did i truly see you that night?
do i light a candle at my bedside
table, hoping you’ll catch its
glare from the window?
do i set a bowl of water on
the sill, a small sea for a
weary, travelling snake?
do i offer a companion,
a believer, above all a
witness to your lore?