“Off the coast of Ithaca” by Fiona Hartmann
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “Off the coast of Ithaca” by Fiona Hartmann.
Off the coast of Ithaca
By Fiona Hartmann
I licked the sea salt wounds
born from diving too close to rusted wreckages
the copper poison on my tongue sweet to taste
like the melted sin that filled the lungs of Icarus
as the water made a drowning ship of his ribcage
where the moon jellyfish lazily drifted
and the eels made homes in the chambers of his heart
hollowed and shrivelled
by the decay of hope, that any rescue team
would ever come, that any love lasts long enough
to save you.
Copyright © Fiona Hartmann
Previously published in Issue 13, Kelp Journal, 2025
Fiona Hartmann is a writer living in Toronto, Canada. She is interested in creating thought-provoking fiction that creates emotional connections that transcend through the digital landscape of modernity. Find her published and forthcoming work in Kelp Journal, Shot Glass Journal, Neologism Poetry Journal and elsewhere.
Subscribe to Poetry Pause, or support Poetry Pause with a donation today!