All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
The Undertow
When I was young, I lived with my mother by the coast
Right outside our door, there was a path that led off the cliff
The townsfolk whispered as we walked in the market, and I did not understand why
Once a rotten vegetable and the words “Ocean wh*re” hit my mother, I understood then.
I now noticed the little things, how my mother bound the shutters when night fell
How water splashed along the coast
The sound of shoes on a path coming from the cliff
The scars of claws along the side of the house
One day, My mother warned me not to go to the sea, how the undertow would sweep me away.
Of course, such a challenge enticed my young mind
I learned the way of the sail, catching fish as my mother watched in fear
And so I grew, with the sea and the waves, the coral became my sister, the kelp my brother
The undertow watched, with golden eyes and claws ready to catch, but I did not waver
Then, the monsters came.
Lo in the clothes of the town, armed with jaws of pitchforks and breath of flames
My mother they took first, kicking and screaming as they dragged her to shore
I watched from the cliff, as they covered her with iron even as it burned her skin
And in the bloodied water, I saw my fate
The ocean's surface was like stone, and then I knew everything
Yellow eyes looked at me, smile encased in ivory blades
And once more I fell into the waves, yellow eyes now my gaze
My mother swam up to meet me, her scales identical to mine
She kissed my forehead once, then swam into the sky
I swept through the town, bringing no destruction but my own
Now I visit my mother only when the tide ebbs and flows
I often visit, when the waters are hot, with my winds and twisters of blue
The coral is my sister, the kelp my brother, bringing life and death in a cycle
My father is the undertow, my destiny to fall into the sea
We all are called in our fury when we hear our mother bleed
With tridents and waves, tyranny spread wide and tall
The Undertow, the cliff from which we fall
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 0 comments.
This was written during my first spoken word meeting, I spoke not a word, just got my sheet in the back of the room and started writing. I think I startled the teacher when she asked what I had done. Thank you for reading!
-A grateful oni