Feature image: The Empress of Vengeance and Generosity, by Yatin Marneni
there is a type of worm
some call the zombie worm
in Latin, it means
bone devourer
it lives in the deep ocean
drifting in the cold current
its writhing red body
reaching out
for anything
in the emptiness, the stillness
miraculously,
Earth’s giant floats by
gently sinking lower & lower
& the zombie worm
latches onto the decomposing bones
of whale carcasses
leaching into the barren skeletons
where they suck
the last
of the fat deposits
from the depths of the white bars
until
the bones
crumble
the very core
gone
leaving nothing but minerals to
dissipate
in the dark water
Earth’s largest creatures
finally bested
by tiny worms
Bre Legan, aka Beedle. the poet, is a graduate student in the Marquette communication department. They are a recipient of the ruth weiss Emerging Poet Award and currently serve as Milwaukee’s inaugural Emerging Poet Fellow. Beedle enjoys fiddling with ancient typewriters, organizing with Midcoast Artist Collective, and exploring this beautiful world.
Yatin Thomas Marneni is a student studying in the Accounting Program at the College of Business Administration at Marquette University. He spends his time studying for class, visiting his family in Illinois, and working on various drawings and paintings.