Trembling

It is said that before entering the sea a river trembles with fear.

— Khalil Gibran

I relish days in solitude

languishing in this estuary

before being propelled

into the merciless ocean

Swallow me

like the whale did Jonah

harbor me in your underbelly

from a world that

bites

claws

stings

Pulled under

I transform

rise sleek as a mermaid

virginal as a newborn

courageous as Athena

(Trembling was previously published in the fall 2023 issue of abraxas review.)

Poet/lyricist Arlene Geller’s poems have appeared in White Enso, abraxas review, and Tiny Seed Journal, among others. Two poetry collections, The Earth Claims Her and Hear Her Voice, were published in 2023. Although she recently moved, she left her heart in Bucks County. Please visit her at arlenegeller.com.

Poet’s Corner is curated by Bucks County Poet Laureate Emeritus Tom Mallouk and supported by a grant to the Bucks County Herald Foundation made possible by Marv and Dee Ann Woodall.

To submit a poem for consideration, email it to Heraldpoetscorner@gmail.com. If the poem has been previously published, please say where it first appeared.

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