Erica Reid

Gyotaku

Gyotaku is a traditional form of Japanese art that began over 100 years ago as a way for fishermen to keep a record of the fish they caught. They would apply sumi ink to one side of a freshly caught fish, then cover the fish with rice paper and rub to create an exact image of the fish. —Smithsonian Institution

Remember,

the fish says.

Eat

with your eyes.

I was wild

once,

warlike,

a sword-mouthed

dancer from your deepest

imaginings.

___

Imagine:

this dancer from the deep,

her mouthed words—

a warlock. 

Once

she was wild

in the eyes.

Eat

this fish, say you

remember.

Erica Reid is the author of Ghost Man on Second, winner of the Donald Justice Poetry Prize (Autumn House Press, 2024). Erica’s poems appear in Rattle, Cherry Tree, Colorado Review, and more. (ericareidpoet.com/)