Saltwater

by Nico De Guzman

We held the funeral on the beach. 

Tides were in remission. 

They waned away from where 

your coffin composed my dirge 

of restrained wails. 

When it was time for your eulogy, I had to 

confess: I never found your message 

in a bottle. 

Traces of yourself became lost 

at sea. But I still pretended I recollected 

something. 

We were both alive once, before I opened 

my eyes. I opened my eyes. You  

waned away before I held your finger. 

Memories lingered and swirled 

with salt, a vortex in the ocean. 

In the middle, I found your body displayed 

in limbs, torso, eyes, but not whole. 

Never whole. 

The funeral was punctuated by pushing 

your coffin into the shore’s 

uneven mouth. 

What wouldn’t kiss you before it accepted 

you, received you like a pill. 

Maybe it hoped you would embrace it too. 

My lungs continued to stutter, 

but this dirge was never meant for you. 

I lost too much from your disappearance. 

And years later, your body washed 

back to me, whole. 

I finally found your eulogy in the form of 

sea-worn shards left behind 

About the Writer...

Nico De Guzman is a Filipino high school student from Illinois. He is an artist in both visual and written forms, and his work ranges from sketches, to poetry, to zines. Poets who inspire him include Sylvia Plath, Ocean Vuong, and his teacher, Rana Hodge. His writing can be found in Under the Madness Magazine and is forthcoming in The Dribble.

About the Artist...

Elizaveta Kalacheva is a senior at Savannah Arts Academy. She is known for her oil paintings and has won many awards for them. She is also exceptionally good at pottery, digital art, and many other mediums.