the chevron has rubbed off my anchor ring tattoo
chain and rod swim rootless in finger flesh
book re-ink appointment on the to-do list—ten years and counting
you and I sleep in separate rooms
one of us may as well get a good sleep
new parents—temporary measure—eight years and counting
coral reef roots itself to floor
liberation in its limbs, yet holding fast to home
what if I am carried away?
succumb to the tides of night, can’t fight my way back
sea otters entangle themselves in kelp beds
join furry hands so they won’t drift apart when they drift off
oh, for the wisdom these marine bodies hold
the instinct instructing them not to let go
Photo credit: Will Pearson / Peterborough Currents
Ziysah von Bieberstein is a parent, poet, community cultivator, and unsettled settler who finds home in queer, Jewish, and activist communities. Co-founder of Take-Out Poetry, Ziysah lives in Nogojiwanong on Michi Saagiig Anishinaabe territory where they are currently serving as Peterborough’s Poet Laureate. Their most recent collection is Consents +/=/- Severances.
