Hippocampus, hippocampus

by Duna Haller

CW: harassment, transmisogyny, death

“I declare myself the most docile of animals carrying a still

life’s worth of dead nature”

From Making Water, by Laura Jaramillo

The second you leave by the door, the world hurricane of

ghastly trueness ensues on your breasts,

glances on your two-days beard,

rocks thrown on your watery fountain.

You are an animal

like a lynx is a cat,

like a river crosses through saltwater when

ocean crashes into port towns.

You are a torrent of potent death,

your patched up flesh shouldn’t be alive,

lonely bird of prey,

with a butterfly’s fear

and a hyena’s roar

of survival.

Duna Torres Martín (she/her, pen name Duna Haller) is a poet, writer, collagist and musician from Madrid, Spain. She has two poetry books out, 'Limbo' (Bottlecap Press) and 'Desierto' (Reflector Libros), as well as several poems and short stories published in various anthologies and zines, including '99% Chance of Magic: Stories of Strength and Hope for Transgender Kids' (Heartspark Press). Her work usually deals with mental & physical health themes, LGBT+ issues, memory and relationships, and she's always inclined and curious towards collaborative work. You can see more of her work and contact her at her website: https://dunahaller.pb.studio/ or at Instagram @dunahaller.