Karlié Rodríguez - Slashed by the Swamp

In her prose poem “Slashed by the Swamp”, Karlié Rodríguez allows readers into the swamp for a peek at the tragedy of want. In these lines of desire, longing, and finally acceptance, we witness the acute ache of not being able to have what we desire, what we think we need. “‘Slashed by the Swamp’ is a poem about impossibilities,” Karlié told The Dewdrop. “It is as much about the slipperiness of language and the limits of poetry as it is about loving someone you can never quite reach, no matter how hard you try to make things work. This is a poem of longing, love, and heartbreak.” Karlié continued, “There is a saying in Spanish I love, ‘tanto nadar para morir en la orilla,’ to swim for so long only to die by the shore. Impossible loves are a little bit like that. ‘Slashed by the Swamp’ is about the tragedy of dying upon arrival.”

Slashed by the Swamp

What is a lotus flower if not a symbol of new beginnings? And now that I’ve said that, it must be so. There you stood, bursting with hunger behind the dying cypress. I could hear the sound of my own longing beneath the water. Two predators orbiting each other we were. What is poetry if not a coincidence?

Were we alone? Were we searching? The answer came to me in a bashful whisper. How does it feel when you lie? How does it feel when you know that I know that you lied? I like it. I like you. I grew greedy teeth just to bite you. Have I mentioned I was born from lukewarm water? I hope you like that.

In the night, the moon will transform into a pancake. It makes me sad that no syrup can reach it. I sometimes wonder about Mars. And Jupiter. And that one planet that is only a planet when experts say that it is a planet. I wish they would make up their minds. I wish I didn’t love the taste of flesh. I wish I knew the sound of your shivers. And the taste of your syrup. I wish I didn’t feel like the moon.

I will leave my nest soon. I will grow and grow until I am the size of a mountain. I hope you will rest in my caves.

Karlié Rodríguez

Karlié Rodríguez (she/her) is a writer, translator, and teacher from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. She was a 2022-2024 Book Project Fellow at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. When she isn’t working on her dissertation, she is at work on a memoir.