Peace with the Tsunami

by Isabel Dorn

The hurricane that wrecked me – that’s what you are,
pulling me into your storm of destruction
filling my lungs with your waves of salty death

yet I still hope my body washes up on your shore,
limp and lifeless
just as I was when I still dwelled in your shelter,
feasting on your poisonous sugar while starving
for true sustenance

Why do I still seek peace with a tsunami?
I curse myself for craving
the false peace of my old prison,
a bed arrayed in violet butterflies
with pillows shaped like clouds for my mind.

I wonder how many more storms I’ll weather
before I’ll drown in you.

Isabel Dorn (she/her) is a graduate student who uses poetry to examine the complexities of intersectionality and coming of age in the 21st century. As a Vietnamese American woman, she sees writing as a powerful tool for social justice and strives to create more visibility for underrepresented groups with her work.