The roars of the ocean
buzz inside my bones
as I float across
the surface of the water.

The crumbled rocks and
sharp sands brush
my fleshy back
and arms of fat.

The rays from God’s eye
crisp my sagging breasts,
making me recall
holiday chicken.

This sitting chicken has flown
out of her copper coop,
unprovoked by the foxes
and the ovens that yawn.

For once
I am the untouched
spectacle of today.

---

Samantha Szumloz is a fourth-year Rowan University student gaining a Bachelor’s in Writing Arts, a minor in Creative Writing, a concentration in Publishing and Writing for the Public, and a CUGS in Technical Writing. Her poetry, fiction, and nonfiction has been published in places such as MORIA, Blue Marble Review, DisLit Youth Literary Magazine, R U Joking?, Halftone, and Singularity Press. She is also a June 2025 contributor to Blood+Honey and a July 2025 contributor to Viridine Literary. Other than writing, she runs her own literary and arts magazine called Art-emis. To get in touch with Samantha, her Instagram is @poemsbysammsy. You may also find her on Chill Subs.