Return to Top of Page
Menu
  • Close
  • About Us
  • Contributors
  • Donate
  • Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Submissions
  • 20 Years
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Search Website
Literary Mama
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Departments
  • Blog
  • Newsletter

Poetry | March 2018

Full Circle

By Kristen Elde

I’m gonna die in the sea
I’m gonna die in the sea

my four-year-old sang sweetly
as he pulled his pajamas on.

Hours earlier, beside me on the couch,
he’d scrutinized my profile
full human—lines, pores, acne scars.
In that instant, I held no secrets.

He started up again the next day.

My eyes will stay in the sea
My eyes will stay in the sea

(Should it feel hard to share this?
My gut held no knots.)

That evening, I sat with my son
off a busy road at a clam shack picnic table
eating onion rings. The sea was not close.
But as I pulled Finn to me,
my failing cheek against his plump one,
I breathed deep and there was no mistaking
the smell of sea,
calling both of us home,
eventually.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share This Page

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Copy Link

Kristen Elde

Learn More

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Don't miss out on Literary Mama news and updates

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Instagram
  • RSS

© 2023 Literary Mama | Search Site | About Us | Staff | Submissions | Privacy Policy