I cradle her in my arms
and move my body
like a derelict vessel.
We bob and sway,
pitch and roll,
in constant motion
without headway.
She clings to me
like marine growth,
slick green tendrils
wriggling in restless arms.
Our tears converge
into tributaries,
feeding the open mouth
of the hungry ocean
to keep us afloat tonight.
I press her cheek
against my empty breast—
sometimes the heat of my body
is all I have left to give.
–
Molly Greer lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. Recent work has appeared in The American Journal of Poetry, Kissing Dynamite, Full House Literary, and Sledgehammer Lit. You can find her on Twitter @MKGreerPoetry.