[Issue 2024.71]

‘A Moon Witch Seeks a Shell’, Devan Barlow

Art © 2024 Melkorka

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On the opposite shore, I hope
another moon witch
convinces a mollusk our cause is just
Sometimes, the most difficult conversations are those
between witches upon the same moon

With time we all gain new layers
new spirals, new sorcerous wiles
The shelled creatures have their own magic
and sometimes consent to carry words for us
when our witchery cannot reach across waters

I wade into the shallows, wondering
how many witches wait by other waters
time slips past
as the water dances
until the point of a spiral jabs my palm

The shell’s whorls
pale blush and bright yellow
conceal a mollusk
one small satellite
in the sky that is the sea

The creature doesn’t show themself
but sensation slips from the shell
sinks into my skin
so I may absorb a message
from my sister in witchery

© 2024 Devan Barlow

[Issue 2024.71]

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