Visiting the Mediterranean After the Qibya Massacre
By: Halley Kunen 🕊 New York City, USA 🇺🇸
I limp out to the sea
even the shade is more of teal—
the fish slither in the viscous currents
at a slower speed
everything is altered by sordid speech
a slaughter begins with a murmur
a seiche begins with a ripple
but the stones settle as though nothing has gristled
blood eviscerated all over the graves turns gray
disguises and convoys the chamference of the graves
blurs into the dirt just as ink does into paper
when receiving the water—
and the fish just flutter for show now.
About the Author
Halley Kunen’s poetry is mostly inspired by nature, deep emotions, and peace studies. She first started taking writing poems seriously when she joined Stain’d Arts of Denver, a literary and social justice-oriented nonprofit, by contributing work and performing at their open mics in 2017. Her other interests include yoga, music, and talking to strangers (“bridging the gap.”) She has a chapbook published by Bottlecap Press, titled Permineralized Remains, and her work has been included in the Winged Moon Magazine, Catheartic Press, and others.