Hold Your Breath

Daemona,
hold your breath
and pull me in.

I am of the earth,
but I am also a man
of earthly sins.

I deserve the waves,
the salt, and the sea,
and your crystal fangs,

Daemona.

Mother of the Deep,
to you, I pray,
and here I sit,
an anchor trapped ashore,
my chain rattles
in the foam,
a message for the seas,
rising
to meet desperation
in a place, where a man
might do almost anything.

Dear Daemona,
I can see the gleam
of either eyes or teeth,
or perhaps it’s your scales
that shine from the deep.

I am not an anchor.

I am a man.

I have heard your song,
and to the sea, I am
happy for the waves,
the undertow,
and all the ways,
Daemona drags

me to my grave.

©️ 2020.

This is a tribute to Tara Caribou’s Daemona. If you aren’t familiar with her delightful work, please go have a read. She’s a treasure.

7 thoughts on “Hold Your Breath”

  1. ohmygoodness…. I’m speechless. This is beautiful!! You always write these amazing pieces but damn… this goes so well, I feel, with my flash fiction piece. I am both honored and astonished that you could be moved to create such wonderful art. Never ever stop writing. Ever.

      1. I just think you’re so awesome. I decided today that if you ever thought you’d quit writing, I would come find you and shake some sense into you lol

      2. This creative place I’m in now… the dam broke just a few years ago and if I tried to quit swimming, I would definitely sink.

      3. Well, I will always be here to throw you a lifeline, or tread water beside you, should you ever need it. Because you’re worth it.

      4. Have you heard of Aldous Harding? She’s a Kiwi musician and is currently the soundtrack of my life. I encourage you to watch her vids on YouTube. “The Barrel” is my fave. Harding is brilliant and so fascinating to me.

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