I miss that stupid ache — Fiona Apple
Floating in a slick of oil – arms out
Funneling the pollution through my hair
Mermaid on her back — I protect the brain
Coral. I am myself: a filthy Exxon liar
Exposed, naked bulge of plastic waste;
Daliesque my fans and fronds, tempting
The urchins, the jellyfish to eat — sting
Ache is the song of this day. I wish I
Could erase your palms, your thumbs
The way you smiled when we ate steak
Your marks…
From this tape —
expel you; render you
Extinct, make you
an albatross with
Oiled wings. A seal pup
left in the 2020
Sun to bake.
But oh, baby… this fucking
Ache.
Photo by Stefano Zocca on Unsplash
Elisabeth Horan
Elisabeth Horan is a poet mother student lover of kind people and animals, homesteading in Vermont with her tolerant partner and two young sons. She writes to survive and survives to write - We are all battling something. Let's support each other. Elisabeth enjoys riding horses and caring for her cats, chickens, goats and children (not necessarily in that order). She teaches at River Valley Community College in New Hampshire.
