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How to float

A sonnet about showing an alien the ocean

By Suze KayPublished 19 days ago Updated 19 days ago 1 min read
11

I know your kind has hovered here before -

A pilot filmed you tricking twixt two blues.

But did you smell it? Taste it? Spot its hues?

Let currents drag your craft across its floor?

//

Remove your lens, your shell, your garb. Explore:

The foamed remains of waves, with salt diffuse.

The tumbled rocks and glass, smoothed by abuse.

Cold shock of entry: we depart the shore.

//

Splutter! Fear, the ocean's climb and roar, take

courage, gulp air topside, mill your limbs, note

the pull of drifting eddies in your wake.

And when you're ready, one more step, devote

your core to weightlessness, your soul to make

the final lift. Water-held, now we float.

surreal poetryhow to
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About the Creator

Suze Kay

Pastry chef by day, insomniac writer by night.

Catch me here for spooky stories, crushable poems, and overall weird thoughts.

Or, let me catch you on my website!

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Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

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Comments (7)

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  • Dharrsheena Raja Segarran17 days ago

    Whoaaaa this was extremely beautiful! I loved it so much!

  • Oh my goodness this was glorious ❤️

  • Poppy18 days ago

    Beautiful poem as always Suze!

  • Kenny Penn19 days ago

    Wonderful Suze! Expertly done, I love the imagery here

  • Alivia Varvel19 days ago

    Beautiful! Love the structure and the language. I also love the choice to teach our alien friend how to float and not necessarily swim. Really great imagery!

  • Absolutely brilliant. I love the gorgeous descriptions-- "foamed remains of waves" ... I love the use of verbs at the line break, focusing not just on what the ocean is like, but what it's like to interact with it for the first time .... I love how it begins with hovering and ends with floating, capturing with such subtlety the difference between observing and engaging. Love!!

  • Beautifully written and such a wonderful choice to show an alien! Loved this and loved the form choice, the rhyme flowed so well, I could almost hear the waves lapping! Brilliant! 🤍🤍🤍

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