Whale Nursery
I watch my feet slip under water.
I tried to walk on it –
I fell in instead.
How had I miscalculated
so precariously
so disastrously?
Right now, I am floating
in a pool of 34% salination.
Baby whales bob nearby
breathing easily
just like me.
Yesterday, I was
part of a gannet colony
on Bass Rock.
Last week, I was a selkie
and I lived in the
Channel Islands.
Two years ago, I was with
a herd of wild mustangs
in Virginia. I never quite
fit in as a centaur.
Soon, I will grow wings.
I have heard that is
a painful process.
But I am so determined
not to be human again.
Darkness
The sky is
always dark now.
I have seen
drawings of the sun
in books for children.
We don’t have
many of those,
children.
They left
when the sun
was covered.
Warmth is scarce now too.
I remember being warm once
before the clouds came.
The sky is filled with darkness.
The clock in London
used to keep time.
Now it just stands there,
an austere remnant
of the past
when time mattered.
— Rachel Turney, Ed.D. (she/her) is an educator and artist located in Denver. Her poems, research articles, drawings, and photography can be found in a variety of publications. Rachel is passionate about immigrant rights, teacher support, and empowering other artists. She is a Writers’ Hour prize winner and her photography can be found on a few magazine covers. Her poetry collection Record Player Life is forthcoming with The Poetry Lighthouse. Stay tuned and keep writing! Website: turneytalks.com Instagram: @turneytalks Bluesky: rachelturney