I want to dive
into the deep
part of the river
I want to see
the fish and the
algae up close
and listen
as they tell me
my history
explain the origin
of my arms
and my legs
show me the
beginnings of
my toes and fingers
blink their liquid eyes
at mine and fill me
with the memory
we both share
of one tail
flipping and flicking
through the wet
they look at me and
change their thin
mouths into lips
and teach me that
this is the
origin of
the kiss
—Published 13th of July 2021
About Leslie Dianne
Leslie Dianne is a poet, novelist, screenwriter, playwright and performer whose work has been acclaimed internationally in places such as the Harrogate Fringe Festival in Great Britain, The International Arts Festival in Tuscany, Italy and at La Mama in New York City. Her stage plays have been produced in NYC at The American Theater of Actors, The Raw Space, The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and The Lamb’s Theater. She holds a BA in French Literature from CUNY and her poems have appeared in The Lake, Ghost City Review, The Literary Yard, About Place Journal and Kairos and are forthcoming in Hawai’i Review. Her poetry was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize.