Emory R. Frie

Jellyfish Found Limbless on the Beach

She – I know it’s a she – we
know each other, this poor thing
I stand over, this bulbous
beached breast, tentacles stripped so
she lost her sting and she lost
what made her free. Not lost, but
stolen like words she’s forbidden
to sing. She lies here, dormant as
waves wash around her, over
her, under her, caressing
her smooth skin, kissing her
injured hips where her limbs used
to be. In lapping tides, she unfurls
her wings, reminding her of who she
once was in pretending
she’s still whole. The ocean, it slowly
nudges her away from home, away
from freedom, onto the ground sand
we will become.

Emory R. Frie is the award-winning author of Heart of a Lion and the Realms Series, and has works published by The Journal and Ramifications. She is the founder of Life Lights Copywriting for social businesses and nonprofits, has a bachelor's in creative writing at Berry College, and currently lives in Augusta, Georgia.