Lisa Trudeau

FEAR OF FALLING

philophobia      somniphobia      aquaphobia
the certainty of Latin 
the color of falling is robin’s egg blue
your eyes in bright light
caught inside a trough of sea  
I breathe it in      kind as air
sky through water warped and skimmed
clean fluidic blue
shimmered limbs chugging fear’s 
fata morgana warping atmosphere 
someone wrenched and ran me ashore 
shook the ocean out of me
sand scoured inside and skin      I burned 
and howled all the way home
remembering my animal body      suspended and stilled 
philophobia      somniphobia      aquaphobia
the quilt on your bed is robin’s egg blue      so are your eyes      so I’ve already said
it is the color of falling      basophobia
like drowning      like this
            

Lisa Trudeau is a former publishing professional and independent bookseller. She lives in Massachusetts. Her work has been published by or is forthcoming from Open: Journal of Arts and Letters, The Esthetic Apostle, Cathexis Northwest Press, The American Journal of Poetry, Blue Mountain Review, Typehouse Literary Magazine, and Levee Magazine.