The Sea

My tongue is not long enough to reach my tears
as maggots crawl out of the cracks in my cheeks
and fall to the ground
where they wait for their mothers
to cover and comfort them

When I reached another human being
she had already begun her descent into the sea
She did not recognize me

I tried to follow but was stopped by the jagged flow
The cutting waves sent me back to remind me
the air was to keep, keep me in the street

I begged the moon to take me back
into the folds of the waves with her harsh sands that cut
into my crevices as if I had no memory

They found me there
covered with tiny crabs eating microscopic
animals like themselves
The men poked at the crabs with long pieces of
drift wood naked

Naked except for their American flag bikinis
blue stars on their flattened breasts
red stripes on their cocks

They flipped me over and I didn't protest
because I knew when they were done
they would throw me back
to the sea,

where the white maggots could no longer feed on me
.

[Diane Spodarek/poem] [Olivia Beens/painting]
links:

viva dangerous diane
dianespodarek.com
artnet
redcockroaches
danger
magic
ray johnson interview
drunkmonologues
olivia beens artnet
rubin
© copyright Thin Ice Press 2007
© copyright Diane Spodarek 1999-2007
© copyright Olivia Beens 1999-2007