Sea Dragon

Sea Dragon

At the aquarium, it is fish after fish,
and then there she is, her leafy body
adrift in yellow kelp
like a slowly waving hand
of the plant itself. There she is, and she
has the power to drown you
where you stand. She reads your thoughts
and knows you like a mother knows her child.
To prove this, she looks at you,
and you are plunged into memories:
Your grandmother teaching you to whistle.
Your sister seeing you off on a trip.
Your first lover asleep in the fractured
sunlight of the vertical blinds in your room.
Your mind opens golden and stolen to her.
In the smoky flesh of your past, she is
blowing small holes that close again.
Why she has this effect there’s no
knowing. Touch the glass, because this
is the closest you will ever be to real
worship. The sea dragon’s slender nose
is a plank from which you dive.
The gypsy balls of her eyes hold you
today, and for the rest of your life
you will only be able to imagine
the drip-drip of cycled water
weeping into her tank. 

Author: Kristan LeVietes

Photo: SGR on Unsplash