Archipelago

I never wanted a future. 

Never dreamed of bridal gowns or 

Baby cheeks or making 

My place in the world. 

 

I desperately desired to plant 

Sweet potatoes in Cuba at 21. 

I was bound to swim

With dolphins in the ocean. 

I fell in love with singing 

Brazilian music. I craved

Myriad makings of art. 

 

I have longed only

For unique immersions

In aliveness. 

 

I dived deep into each 

invigorating idyll, each

Oubliette of anguish

And despair. 

 

My life is an archipelago

Of these intense expansions 

And contractions, each 

Isle separate from the rest. 

 

Pearls on a strand, 

A knot between each one. 

—Geneve Gil