‘Patria’, ‘Swan Dive’ & ‘Do you Know the Aloneness of Oceans?’

Gaby Bedetti is a photographer, writer, and translator living in Lexington, Kentucky, with her spouse and son. Like an ukiyo-e painting, her photos invite the viewer to be part of “the floating world.” 

Patria

I am anchored an ocean away but

I can’t quite shake the dust of patria,

of home and heart, that weighs diluted blood.

Though I’m dusted in red desert ashes,

my roots hold homely soil - so say goodbye,

but lightly; stretch the truth to make it sweet.

So I can go and leave you here, and I –

I will prise the healing words from my lips,

leave scattered pieces of myself for the

archaeologists, who study fish in

forests, and cats in seas, and clues of rock

sculptures from a forgotten dynasty.

I am called by northern winds: I will go

and leave you here; you will leave me lonely.

Swan Dive

I always thought I’d swan-love,

fated to be pond-loyal

a cosy, straight-line, swan dive

into small pool, lifelong, ample

I saw necks intertwining

slow-stream together-paddle

or else left ever-pining

Am I over-complicating,

do I leave before it’s time?

Or should I still be waiting for

a love I don’t survive

Do you know the aloneness of oceans?

of being plucked from dry land

and relearning to step

to stand

to swim

Are my legs shaking

or is it the planets?

I’m off-beat,

chasing the rhythm

of the surge and swell and constant

chaos

If you hear this from the shore,

don’t leave to look for me

Until I find the shallow banks,

until my feet can touch the sand,

I’m lost, I’m lost at sea

Daniela Neira is a Scottish-Chilean writer traveling the world and telling its stories.