THIRD PLACE
LILA CUTTER
FIRST RESPONDER
When I saw him in the water I could feel the offness
did not want to use the word body
hoped for a snorkel more presence than the bobbing I could see hoped for
a reason
to be face down in paradise
I saw swam urgency lapping
at my chest arrived the silence the nervous touch
ocean empty
though others swam paces away no one noticed
no one came no one listened
I have never felt such loneliness
couldn’t hold the weight of him alone
finally locked eyes got someone to understand
then every one surged from the saltwater
to carry his body to shore
it took time to not feel
water death
death water
a lateness lapping rocking lulling bobbing
unsteady unstable warp
now I try to move with water
I want to wade through this world with eyes open
Lila J. Cutter teaches poetry at the Attic Institute and Oregon State University, where she received her MFA. Lila’s work can be found in Stoneboat Literary Journal, The Shore, Sugar House Review, The Citron Review, and Ursus Americanus Press, among others. Lila’s poetry often centers on perceptions of femininity and considerations of home, which for her is both the West Coast and Midwest.
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