Fish Bones

A poem by Abigail Cain

유속 / 流速 by Park Inju

because i followed myself,
i’ve found that:
                       as my mother,
                       i have died.
castrated twin,
                       buried within my liver.
marred stones,
                       chewed rocks,
her knitted socks left behind in the                     light.
                                                                mourning
where preachers rise to pray for the gone:
1. those fled into burning darkness
2. ones intertwined in cold dungeons in dreams
3. the prey of phallic beasts
there is no lake of lava to: wash the lungs,
                                              pierce the soul.
damn the hooks that tore her scales—
shredded pieces of her swim through my pelvis
fish bones,
                       left behind.
in their mourning chill,
                                              her skinned fins lay…
and I blessed her soul.
hallow be those fish bones.

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Abigail Cain (she/he/they) is a writer and university student from Appalachia. Her work can be found in Querencia Press. She currently owns Haunted Doll Collective where she creates zines and publishes anthologies.

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