My lungs fill
with seawater,
my legs wrapped
in kelp,
hooks carve
gills in my
throat.
Nets web
my hands,
goggles fuse
to my face,
sails become
fins on my
ears and
back.
And in this
transformation
I hear my sisters
call to me,
urging me
to use
my voice
against those
who tossed me
to the mercy
of the sea.
What they couldn’t know
is that the ocean
hides creatures
that feed on
monstrous men;
not even
the gods
would interfere
with the wretches
that lurk
in the deep,
in the dark,
below.