forsaken at
point nemo,
i drug myself
through
hadal waters
fighting my way
towards
the shoreline
with only
the currents
to guide me.

the ocean,
too unforgivable
a thing
for search
and rescue.
my charybdal
heart not worth
the risk of
the best of men.

and here,
i hoped
they’d be
looking
for me,
to pull me from
the tides.
hair wet,
skin shriveled,
water expunging
the sin from
my mouth.

yet,
for all that
drifting,
i was still
more sea witch
than survivor.

my feet hit sand,
stumbling upon
the coastline
depth-dazed,
i am met
with anchor
and chain.
the seaweed
forced
between my
teeth,
my head
plunged
underwater
so they can
pretend at
god.

i become
salt to sea,
the dissolving
of myself into
spindrift
until nothing
ancient is
left.
until no man
can make me
become what
i am no longer.