isthmus
poem
each alone
you and i
we are surrounded
by the teeming sea
of we
face after face
smiling
scowling
stormy looks
what connects me to you
is only this thin strip
where our surfaces touch
pulling me into you
do i matter?
do you care?
is this moment only because
neither you nor i want
to be islands?
what does it mean to love?
do i need to no longer be me?
when the tides rise to hide
the isthmus that connects
us
will you return to me?
what does it mean?
what does it matter?
why do we care at all?
Author’s Note:
a poem from exploring the nature of i—(sthm)—us
A lot for reflection in this piece. Thank you.
The isthmus metaphor stayed with me. The poem feels caught between individuality and belonging, asking whether connection is something we choose, something we need, or something that exists beneath the tides whether we can see it or not. Thank you for sharing this.