DUYONG 5

I am the daughter of a woman gathering seaweed pods. Against her husband’s bidding, she wades too far into the bay, and a warm wave touches her belly. She wishes for it to caress her cheek. In a daydream, she closes her eyes, and the warm wave pulls at her shoulders. Slowly she submerges her swollen body, and this is how my mother’s womb becomes the sea.