Jellyfish

 

I kneel

at the sea’s edge

 

a lens, milky opal,

its sex a mauve flower

 

its short tentacles

might be buds, leaves –

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stranded, out of its element

it has lost its lightness,

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like the mermaid’s purse

I carry home,

 

its patent leather

already dulling,

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the dry chink

of shells in my pocket

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From Her Orchards, 2021

 

 

 

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