an ocean freedive on a whim
under glistening glaciers and bergs of blue and
sheets of unpromised ice.
the ceiling will not give with a push
but parries with twice the power.

the sleek penguins and harbor seals
that dive much further than I
split the sea and flop ashore,
while barking and chirping for their pods.
water beads and slides off their bodies,
called back into the ocean, blackened-blue,
insatiably hungry.

the ice is smooth concrete above me
poured with ill intent.
a wicked roar rumbles from below—
Charybdis has deemed my ascension unfit.
the maelstrom’s gaunt fingers press bruises into my ankles;
she pulls me further down,

down,

colder.

the taste of icy saltwater and acidic regrets
overwhelms my sense of direction, of purpose.

breathing without air,
I watch the ice shift with a muffled crack,
then shatter into the same starry nothingness as the bleak.

I am

dragged

below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Faith Angiocchi

Despite pursuing a degree in Environmental and Conservation Biology, I found a passion for writing poetry. In the past four years, I've written hundreds of poems ranging from a few lines to pages filled with stanzas. Poetry is a form of therapy for me where I can distill the thoughts that cloud my mind into a work of art. Through poetry, I've learned more about myself and that anyone can write as long as they feel a love for it.

Contents

when I became the bleak

ABOUT THE AUTHOR