i know her because her hair drags with homesick stars
& her hands are rough like a sailor's.

          i know her loneliness looks like a fish struggling
in a man's net & her freedom

          looks like a stormy night, two girls holding shells
to their ears, hearing wonders

          echoes of drowned lovers. they kiss & i know her
by the long summer still under her nails.

          the way she bring me waves, brings me wind
when i still look like/feel like a man.

          i know then she sees me stuck on shore,
a mortal hoping for the goddess

          to bless their face with tomorrow. tomorrow
is almost here/feels like a far-off

          impossible land. but i know her, the girl
buried in the sand of memory

          she who was fearless in all waters
swims in me still.

          when i'm far from rivers/the touch

of a kind mirror, i still
          know her

© 2025 Angel Leal