I DREAM OF WATER — Spoken word poetry and a single static photograph convey the confining isolation of the pandemic.
I DREAM OF WATER
The door’s locked, windows shut
the days and nights blend into weeks and months in a series of boxes
soiled take-out’s pile on kitchen counter-top
as half-opened deliveries line the hallway
and frozen screens crackle with static stutters
and I dream of water
Fires rage and ashes rain down
a mask and these four walls to protect ourselves
I hear the lapping waves call my name
palm trees swaying, sand underneath my feet
salty sweat on the tip of my tongue
as I dream of water
The earth’s parched and sky, a sci-fi yellow
swimming the deep blue with fishes and turtles
fingers pruning, a chill in my bones
breath on the respirator
a Darth Vader-rasp
I am in the water
May the rain wash the sticky soot clean
the rivers and lakes quench this dusty desert
and the ocean fill me up whole
House-bound,
I sit here
— and I dream of water
Photo by Sarah Deragon
EDWARD Gunawan • he/they • Jakarta, Indonesia | Oakland, CA
Edward Gunawan is a queer Indonesian-born Chinese writer and literary translator who authored two chapbooks—including the Start a Riot! Prize-winning The Way Back (Foglifter Press, 2022). They have also been awarded the Gabo Prize in Literary Translation and Multilingual Texts by the journal Lunch Ticket. Visit addword.com for more.
