How to Sink/ Sara Lynne Puotinen
with Paul Tran
Try to recall when your son was young and so upset
all he could do was turn to jelly and ooze
down the couch in surrender — not giving in
but giving up control, a puddle of body parts
pooled at your feet. Learn to retreat like this.
Go to the gorge. Let your bones dissolve,
your legs liquefy. Submit to gravity. Slide
down. Reach the ground, then seep deeper
through layers of loam, sandstone, shale. Drop lower
and lower, burrow through cracks and fissures, carve
out a way in and follow it farther. Go
so far inside that outside is another idea.