Emma O’Neill-Dietel
Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
When did this ocean become a fishbowl?
I didn’t notice the glass around me until it started pressing in
The bad thing about glass is that it’s breakable
I tried standing in the center, pulling in my limbs
I didn’t notice the glass around me until it started pressing in
I pushed against it, hoping it would give way
I tried standing in the center, pulling in my limbs
The good thing about glass is that it’s breakable
I pushed against it, hoping it would give way
The pressure proved too strong, so I punched from within
The good thing about glass is that it’s breakable
As the fishbowl shattered I reached out both hands
The pressure proved too strong, so I punched from within
I found myself ankle-deep in the ocean, broken shards floating around me
As the fishbowl shattered I reached out both hands
The unbroken line of the horizon revealed I was alone
I found myself ankle-deep in the ocean, broken shards floating around me
All there was to hold onto was my own form
The unbroken line of the horizon revealed I was alone
I followed the water trickling down the lines of my body into the shallows
All there was to hold onto was my own form
The water that had covered me was slowly making me anew
I followed the water trickling down the lines of my body into the shallows
What I had assumed was broken glass wasn’t sharp at all
The water that had covered me was slowly making me anew
The shallows thrummed with life, tiny creatures growing and shifting
What I had assumed was broken glass wasn’t sharp at all
The creatures glowed in the sunlight, colors changing like prisms
The shallows thrummed with life, tiny creatures growing and shifting
Each time the movement seemed to still, a ripple sent the world into motion again
The creatures glowed in the sunlight, colors changing like prisms
I looked at my feet and witnessed my own transformation
Each time the movement seemed to still, a ripple sent the world into motion again
The creatures expanded around me, refracting light in every direction
I looked at my feet and witnessed my own transformation
When I looked up from myself, I saw I was no longer alone
The creatures expanded around me, refracting light in every direction
The shallows were full of prism-people, weaving color from light and water
When I looked up from myself, I saw I was no longer alone
I was a prism-person too
The shallows were full of prism-people, weaving color from light and water
The good thing about glass is that it’s breakable
I am a prism-person too
