self-portrait as rip current
the body the body the mind
and then the body
lord save us from these fisher
men
who plant their hooks into our bodies
i want to know how long
your body
can hold its breath
inside its body
my body wants
to earn its keep i slit
my scars and call them gills i turn
a wound into a mouth i turn
a man into a beast
i turn a love into a
loss
i hear that salt can heal
the skin can flush
the heart can strip
the tongue
i hear that fear
can save your life
in school i learned the verb
become
forms such irregular
con- jugations
the trouble with survival is
it comes with certain
obligations
