bechdell test
the work must feature at least two women,
these two women must talk to each other, and
their conversation must be about something other than a man
my sisters help me slip into my second skin
zip up my suit, and offer me breath
through a sandy tube i grip between my teeth
my gills thrash and gasp for air
“fight the discomfort and evolve”
they sing like a lullaby
sirens lure me into the water,
gifting my toes a temporary tail,
fins that carry my buoyant body
into the ocean’s swaying womb
i stare into the salty unknown
Atlantis thrives under this inverted sky,
city lights shimmering in garibaldi scales,
lost treasure lurks beneath an empire of sand.
graceful hands guide me through aquatic gardens
knuckles interlaced, we swim through a shared dream
they point toward iridescent flashes
and propel me across the liquid mirror
under the shifting of sand
an ancient shell floats from the surface
a mossy angel ascends into heaven
to remind us of our mortal lungs
she radiates wisdom in ripples across the glass sky
before politely declaring her decent
down into the depths of darkness
where her secrets remain disguised
her whisper bubbles up above her shadow
air saturated with her secrets
rises to the surface
and evaporates into our open ears
“our voices echo longer than our lungs endure”
