My toes curl into the sand on a New England shore / thousands of miles (even years) from another world.
My ancestors lived by the moon, the soil, the overflowing rivers that eventually came to
fall. Rejoiced with the harvest and declared that this is proof: death is not the end.
It’s funny what stays around—
the Apple made its way across a sea of tears / waiting for me still to twist, twist
her off the tree’s branch / dip her in honey and rejoice that there will be another chance / another chance to return to the orchard, the woods, witness the leaves flush with crimson
I wonder if my ancestors are watching as the veil thins / they’ve traveled awhile to see me here / surrounded by woods, the ocean, our new homeland.
Will they join me at the table?
Lauren Elise Fisher (she/hers) is a writer and stage manager based out of Bridgeport, CT and holds a B.A. in Theatre Studies from the University of Connecticut. She has been published in the United States, India, and the United Kingdom; these publications include New Voices Magazine, CultureCult’s Spring Offensive anthology, Canyon Voices, Afterpast Review, Naked Cat Lit, Swim Press, Local Gems Press’ Connecticut Poetry Review 2023, and Quabbin Quills Our Wild Winds anthology. Keep up with Lauren on Instagram, Twitter, & BlueSky: @AllFishSwim.