Love Letters from the Deep

ATHENA BALLARD

Winner, Winnie Davis Neely Award in Poetry, 2024

they find each other in the dark. there's no sun
down here, except for her, cleaving through the sea
like something worth running from.
he orbits her for a while, his pathetic wriggling body
soft against hers. a first touch that lasts forever.
(i want to kiss you. i want to eat you. i don't care,
as long as we're together.) he's only eaten
once or twice in his entire life, and she tastes
like fruit, bleeding moonlight into his mouth.
it's a love deeper than hunger, a love she can feel,
writhing in her guts. he gives up every thought,
every organ, commits himself to the flesh of her side.
they'll share this body forever. the best things end
in total darkness--the last thing he sees
are her sightless eyes. a lamp that hangs
high above her head like an angel.
she wears what's left of him like a medal,
a graveyard that swims. her children will remember
how his mouth filled with want.
half of them will be just as lucky.

Athena Ballard is an English Language Arts major, studying to become an English teacher at the high school level. They grew up near St. Louis, and have been studying at EIU for 2 years. They are proficient in both creative writing and literary analysis, with a special interest in topics such as gender studies, allegory in film, and the relationship between fiction and reality. “Love Letters from the Deep” first appeared in A Love That Lives Beneath the Skin.