By Irena Marsalek

Share:

A simple, strong poem on the endlessness of change and how, although it may be scary— it is necessary for growth.

i shed my scales with each 
dawn’s passing, silvery-slick down the
hillside and through the dewy blades. you cannot 
     see me, and you cannot hold me, for i am forever
diminishing and always returning; never stagnant,
consuming myself. scabs rust over, a bronze shield formed—
stronger each time it appears anew.

my body a perfect circle - my tongue running 
over each bump, vermillion dripping 
from both fangs. consumption is 
     anguish. did you know? gods 
are the most unforgiving of all even though 
they have created us. in my final
hours, with the dying light casting shadows of 
people on my inhumane figure, the earth rumbles 
something dark; something angry. 

ichor pours
from the fissures in each crack of earth’s taut
surface, pulled apart, golden rivers flowing a pious 
     path down to ragnarök’s origin. i 
am its epicenter, snakeskin tearing
apart, another layer flaking off.

asgard has decided:
hand-picked ordainship splatters marble steps, 
a mountainous peak where they roll
     me down its length, stricken, light-
ning through the clouds. the natural 
disaster has found a home under my skin.

perpetual, there cannot be an end. i 
suppose, in a way, we are all 
immortal like this. each misgrievance, 
     another storm to live through. scars on skin, 
scales on serpentine miracles - like shooting
stars, dying gloriously on each curve of the body, 
each cosmic limb. doused in starlight,
i’ll watch myself from the core of the earth.

by the end, disaster carves new mountains 
from rubble and ruin, nature undiscovered 
and revived. tectonic catastrophe lies in the 
     palm of our hands, plates shifting with motion-
less revelations. pinch them 
together between pinky 
and forefinger 
and wait.

the world has ended,
the world is ending,
and we shall  
     be stronger for it.

Process

I have been fascinated by the concept of the ouroboros for a long time and thought that the idea of eternal destruction and rebirth was fascinating. Though my initial thought was that a snake perpetually consuming its own tail sounded like anguish, I came to the realization that this suffering is necessary throughout life for growth of any kind.

I decided to base my poem on this idea and, loosely, on the principles of philosophical stoicism. I also included Norse mythology allusions throughout my piece and followed a freeform poetry format. I’ve always enjoyed alliteration and tried to write some in. I also heavily experimented with perspective and the difference between myself, the reader, and the world before I came to a more specific point of view.

My core group reviewed this poem. They helped grow my confidence in this piece!