Hagfish


by Emily Dorffer

Slimy knotted shoelace,
the eel’s ugly cousin,
you bow tied to the whale corpse,
your mucus drapes around you
like a blanket of allergies.
You greasy noodle,
your corn kernel teeth
clamp onto carrion
as you twist and turn
like an underwater worm.
You scarf of the sea,
sentient small intestine,
spineless serpent,
you slither like a leech
through the blackness.
Tell me, stretched-out slug,
how it feels to give a one-animal hug.

Emily Dorffer is a student at Johns Hopkins University who has cerebral palsy. She is double majoring in English and Writing Seminars and is very passionate about writing.