I had a dream that women rose from the sea

Art: Christian Schloe
Poem: Bianca Bowers
… … …
I had a dream 

That women rose from the sea

like Winged Neptunes

And the men on the beach cast their eyes

to the watercolour sky 

to behold the floating giants 

--••--

And for the first time in centuries 

Men saw women as something other than just shells;

Buried beneath sand,

Delicate enough to be crushed,

Pretty little ornaments to place in mason jars,

A whimsical possession to press against their ears.

--••--

And for the first time since Sappho

Women saw themselves as something other than beautiful creatures 

To objectify and dismiss 

........

They were tulips of the sea 

with magic beneath their shells

Extraordinarily rare

And capable of rising 

--••--

And for the first time in too long 

Women glimpsed their patriarchal 

Leashes 

And questioned why they had ever agreed

to constraint 

With those men on the beach.

--••--