atmospheric river
silver currents carry us to the next day,
and the next. in this meal, a memory,
saffron-stained and sweet. in this house,
a history that bleeds. in this air, a silence,
greener than anything you ever knew.
green enough to make your deserts dissolve.
the landscape will close you in. in this place,
your breath is not just a bad habit. in this dark,
a question is just a question. the sky is wet and the water
is air and the atmosphere is a river and
you will open your sails and welcome the flood,
knowing that sinking wouldn’t be the worst thing.
This poem is from the chapbook From Here to the Ocean by Lucie Pereira (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/from-here-to-the-ocean-by-lucie-pereira/
Lucie Pereira (she/her) is a writer and educator from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work has appeared in Honey Literary, Zone 3, Yes Poetry, and Stanchion Zine, among others. From Here to the Ocean is her debut chapbook. Find her on Instagram @bringonthelucie.
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