At first sHe dims the unwatched distances

only. Then HisHer furry paws creep in

from the horizon like an evening fog.

Then sHe muffles the din and darkens all,

purring over my face. “Resistance is

futile,” sHe whispers, then spreads like a bog,

swallowing guests with gurgles and that grin.

I seem to swim then sink and finally fall.

Then sHe becomes a mine as vast as death

veined with a lode of subaquatic thought.

I mine for gold with automated breath,

compliant as a clam, until brass rings

recall me to the surface of hard things

with edges. Still, I’d rather wake than not.

Eugene O’Hare was shortlisted by the poet Billy Collins for the 2022 Fish Publishing Prize. Recent poems have appeared in a range of American and European magazines.