Drum Heads, Kalen Keir

after My Octopus Teacher

   senses
dilate open
to a dense depth
unknown. assuming a glimmer
of indigo, I dance weightless, no bones.
a light-patterned seafloor: my personal
show. the semelparous loss who lent me life, you
wouldn’t know, as I straddle my assailant to a silver-
  lined shore. i’ve not enough tentacles to tally my predators. 
their proportions, overshadowing my den, pervade my 
               paradise.   the   reverberation   of    a    shark’s                                   ravenous 
                                  charge  rumbling  the  earth  alerts  me,  what  new           faculty 
will i unearth?          already I morph into intoxicating 
colors                            & change my       texture at will. this curiosity jets me friskily.               with
     my bare                    agile limbs rippling behind, I perfume the coral reef                                  in a   
       magnificent      spell-bind to lure my new dance coach in as I hug myself            in a collage
          of shells. my pirouette, my strut: articulations of pride gleaned from those who brew
              my magic potion—a  sweet courage—in lieu of savoring my delicate meat. 
palpable, pulsating
        as it goes down,
                         I revel in the             
                           multi-
                                        faceted
                             mar
                                             vel
                             that
          imbues
                                       me

          

About the Author

Summer Hagan · St. Edward’s University

Summer Hagan first discovered writing in an elective poetry class while majoring in psychology at St. Edward’s University. Her writings often explore meaning, especially from adversity, and a pull towards mystery. She is now earning her master’s degree in Mindfulness Based Transpersonal Counseling and continues to use writing as a practice to see the world through the eyes of the heart. This piece was first published in the Sorin Oak Review.

About the Artist

Kalen Keir · University of Minnesota