3:33am

can you feel them there, stirring
the water? all that blue ripples

with their hunger, a body made
of teeth. is it less terrifying knowing,

when the violence does come,
that it will be shark-quick? all your pain

cut off as you’re dragged beneath
the surface. tell me: will your blood

spread calmly or will it fight until
it’s last beating drop, refusing

the holy jaws it had been given?
tell me all, for i am that starving

mouth, circling ever closer. i will
listen to your screams without judgment.

By Alice van Duuren

Biography:

Alice van Duuren is a nonbinary writer from New Zealand, who used to hate both reading and poetry. Admittedly, they were 13 at the time and hated just about everything. Since then, they have studied English Literature, Tourism, Screen Production, and Applied Writing. In their free time, Alice likes to daydream about dragons, cuddle with their cat, and drink excessive amounts of tea. Social media Tumblr: lavenderfables.tumblr.com Twitter: @lavenderfables Carrd: thelavenderfables.carrd.co