“Turgid Lantern” by Mahailey Oliver

Warbly glow,
I am there—below,
below, so low under the depths
of the crushing sea.
See? How I whimper
with light? My moss-worn
tresses and the detritus
of my weary, creaking panels
sway and squeak for recognition.

Sailors, though I am sunken too
let me still help guide you home,
to light, to comfort,
to a sense of ease. Please,
if you cannot climb out of your storm,
your trench, your lowest low,
hunker down in the hole with me
and I will do my all
to keep you warm
with my company.


Mahailey Oliver holds an MA in English from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. She teaches English at both a college and a high school in Texas. When she is not reading and writing, she enjoys camping, hammocking, and stargazing. Her work has recently appeared in A Puissant Mind PressA Curious Moon, and Cherrypicked Magazine. To read more of her work, peruse her author website: https://sites.google.com/view/mahaileyoliver