she breathes / like she is on the verge / of speaking, / an inhale / held too long at its crest. / expansion in silt-soft lungs. / salt catches the edges / of her syllables / and drags out her breath like the tide, / crystallizes the roof of her mouth, / turns elocution into efflorescence. / she’s floating, / waiting, / shedding her skin / so scales push forth and bristle / against the waves. / she dives / past weeds that snare her ankles, / circle her neck. / she careens into abyssal dark. / feeds her song to the sea.