Sea, Swallow Me

Dec 1

Written By Hira Hyder

Sea, swallow me and spit me back out

I am but sand, sea foam, seashells

And you? The ocean

Swallow me and spit me out

Like you’ve done time and time again

And I’ll hate it, forever

But this is our ritual, and so we practice

The moon, a force we cower beneath and hold our

breaths, too scared to defy – confront

In your vastness, torn and shattered

Bits and pieces

You leave me broken but I invite your promises

Once again

Sea, swallow me

Show me how your love knows no bounds

And take all of me

Disorient and disintegrate

Devastate, distress – smash

Ravage me with your might and I’ll wait by the shore

Waiting for you to crash into me tonight

Caress me and leave me muddled with blood, salt-water rinse

And then I’ll ask of you again – Sea, swallow me

Fracture and fragment me

While they call us beautiful, our love

I’ll let you quench your thirst and

Thrust me back into your cold, lifeless depths

Dissipate and desecrate

And make my wounds burn

And still, I’ll plead with you because it must be fate

So, Sea, swallow me

Hira Hyder

An Ode to the Queer Black Teen