She could have submerged into sea — seahorse,
sturgeon, swell company — swam until sand
was somewhere in the dark, suspicious course
that could culminate in a shark. Sandman
on land she surrendered today has ships,
submarines, soldiers in brocade to sail,
submerge each ocean, inlet to conscript
a gilled girl for his government. No scales,
tail, subterfuge, and should she be sequestered
she shall not refuse a navy of men
with malicious intent he has vested
with sufficient resources to weapon-
ize an evolutionary accident.
Sea is a subliminal sacrament.

Kristin Garth is a Pushcart, Best of the Net & Rhysling nominated sonnet stalker. Her sonnets have stalked journals like Glass, Yes, Five:2:One, Luna Luna and more. She is the author of seventeen books of poetry including Pink Plastic House (Maverick Duck Press), Crow Carriage (The Hedgehog Poetry Press), Flutter: Southern Gothic Fever Dream (TwistiT Press), The Meadow (APEP Publications) and Golden Ticket from Roaring Junior Press. She is the founder of Pink Plastic House a tiny journal and co-founder of Performance Anxiety, an online poetry reading series. Follow her on Twitter: (@lolaandjolie) and her website kristingarth.com