goldfish

A poem in JAKE the Mag, originally published 17th May 2023.

I used to think that I could swim
How does pain transform?
Living is like a turtle shell growing around a plastic bag
A woman becoming –
If I am an aborted goldfish then I am also a forest floor of fungi
I gave birth to a man with a dolphins tail and a mouth of scissors
The needle stopped me moving
And still I am a woman
A fetus loses its fins at 7 weeks
I can’t tell you I know how to swim

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