after “Can the Dodo Bird Speak” by Zaina Alsous

do I take a rest

as my mother once did

she is an ocean,

too.

can the manic me speak,

or are his mouths and lips trapped

in metric tons of sand and lint

and thick petroleum

or am i able to run from my

sense of self

like the wise men run for the hills,

from the false deity i have become

sea salt spray in nostrils

as i am consumed by the ocean, the waves

making laps around my beak

as i struggle to fly

can the manic me speak?

or am i a bird, choked in plastic rings

thrown by a beachgoer

in the folds of my brain.

What did my mother bequeath me?

electrical synapses,

lightning bolt in two.

rest, as my mother once did.

She is an ocean.

Camden Beal is a current undergraduate at Arizona State University, where he studies English Literature. In his free time, he enjoys writing, reading, cooking, and spending time with loved ones and friends. His work carries a strong focus on personal identity, grief, loss, and impermanence.