stills

i. oh, Venus can you hear me

ii. what is the light in the distance?

flickering–it’s waving–signaling

beckoning

my hands outstretched

waves rustling 

I breathe in, rising

waves depart

my soul follows

the light bellows

follow me

iii. pisces dashes into aries 

is the night over?

my solar return

iv. two shadows move together in the darkness

another runs behind me before

disappearing

the waves gurgling on the shore

the heat

I am happy

I look up

the wind extends its arm

so I become a child

dancing in the sand to a soundless drum

v. “look / that’s pisces look at the tail”

“wait, actually pisces might be over there, can you see the triangle”

“wait look at that other end, it must be the beginning”

“well actually this one doesn’t seem to be bound to the other fish tail / like pisces would”

vi. and when the water comes to my feet / kissing me /

it is warm, filling me with a lifetime of tenderness / softness / healing 

what felt infinite / what is this feeling / I’m overcome

this romance of life / embracing me / the euphoria is inexplicable

channeling yellow 

I am golden 

tossing unwanted feelings 

easing into 

the stillness / of peace / here

this place / my mind

vii. peeing behind a trash can in PR, pissing in the street in Vallarta

I had a life before this / even though it was so lonely, I

had friends who loved me / even though I was so 

unforgiving

viii. a plane flies into the stars on the forgotten island

the clouds rounding 

this place is protected / be my sanctuary

it is the divine’s resting place / please uphold me

ix. so take what you want

I want the stars / to hold them / til they burn a 

celestial inscription into my hands

I want the ocean to take me whole

make me its vessel

turning me into its lulling melody

I want power / I want all of it

I want to bear the secrets of the universe

I want to be requited 

our pain dissolves in the grace of the universe

let me be the ghostly divine, the one chosen

How does one become the one God chooses to reside by 

how pure do I have to become for Him to walk

by my side and finally whisper “you are the one after my own heart” 

so I’ll cease craving / stop performing / for

the people who were never listening / oh Ave 

Maria / blessed Virgin / most favored among women /

who spared us from Eve’s destiny / to rewrite our names

in the history / as Magdalene

x. when the night star rises on the horizon

it rises to meet the sob in mine

and the waves turn white

xi. Aphrodite, are you listening? 

Suzanne Bagia is a writer from various places, but calls D.C. home. She works as a music journalist, focusing on the roles music plays in our lives and shapes how we view ourselves and the world around us.