The Paddock Review

Undertow

….

When the flood of shadows came for you, 

they came bearing gifts of night. I couldn’t see 

the black waters rising, gently rocking our bed. 

But they knew your name, and sang to you—

soothing promises I could never make. 

How weary your arms must have been, 

straining to hold the light. How easy then to slip—

that warm womb sinking you like a lullaby. 

Devoured by silhouettes, and in the morning, 

gone. 

…..

This poem first appeared in Halfway Down the Stairs, and is from the chapbook No Fault of Water by Kelsey D. Mahaffey (Finishing Line Press) at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/no-fault-of-water-by-kelsey-d-mahaffey/