silurus
the fish’s teeth snap tight around her collarbone / a diadem slipped low / but no matter / we walk hand in hand / finger in finger / we don’t look at the fish with its jaws sunk into her / we don’t / she won’t let go of my hand / she won’t / the scales fall off and make a wedding train / a breadcrumb trail / they shine / all our eyes are wet / the fish cannot get free / but it tries / a spasming cartilage shape growing from her flesh / uncomprehending / blood drips down / her chest / into her belly button / across our hands / we name the fish flower girl / i need to cut my fingernails / i need to get back in the ocean / there is no salt in the blood / but the life will not leave the fish / like the life will not leave the two of us / no matter how much blood spills out
About the author: Molly Fording is a seventeen year old poet and writer from Westport, Connecticut. Her work has been published in Connecticut Student Writers, and she attended the Iowa Young Writers Studio in the summer of 2017. She likes live music, cats, and buying new books even though she has plenty of books at home that she hasn't read yet.
