5 December 2008 | Vol. 8, No. 4

The Symmetry of Water

by LAUREN GOODWIN SLAUGHTER

To lose balance in water—

how would you define this?

         I wore my pretty blue choir

skirt as I was told to

         look past the accident

to find my double glass

         shape of flute within the frond

light gladiolas flap glass

         so to be polite, to capture

shyness back (most mornings it works

         to trick the image with speed

or lipstick). One future uniform

         sheen. And the vastness of such

dream: how does one lose balance in water?

         With devastation a coin

         drops (as one takes the first step)—

         So misplace the interest

in your mouth—how could you

define things? Rest it top the head

         as one accepts their blunder

         all round equivalence flies beneath

         mascara as to tune choir

         blue as I would stand up straight

now and rock and rocking go

back and forth (let it down

now, surrender to sink).