Low Water

by Diana M. Chien

 


If everything were sunken
If everything were soft
If we all lived in low water
With water wetting our heads

If we all lived as frogs do
Enveloped in soft slime
Yielding as lilies
And green as marsh water,
black as frogs’ eggs

How easy it would be
How easy the living would be
To have only water speaking at your ear
Only water, speaking –
alphabet and verse of water

 
Short Stories Magazine
Return to Volume 5

 
Diana M. Chien’s poetry has appeared in publications including Tin House, Boulevard, American Reader, VOLT, and Web Conjunctions, and has received awards from Atlantic Monthly and others. She holds a certificate in creative writing from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in microbiology from MIT, where she directs a science communication program. Website: dianamchien.com