TWO FISH

by Susan Haifleigh

Scientists say that humans don’t technically

have to breathe, we grow in amniotic fluid

comforted by heart rhythms

a mother’s love signals

through liquid swaddling,

shadows of light to come

what if we could fill our lungs so fully deep

breaths are no longer required, so life enters

and exits with ease?

lungs like two fish circling one center

form a perfect balance, reminding us of our true

nature in and out of the water.

"I learned many things during the mentorship, the most impactful was having a more grounded understanding of the larger publishing and literary world which will allow me to better position myself to have my work find it’s appropriate place and audience."

Susan Haifleigh

reflecting on their key takeaways from the Fahmidan Mentorship Program.

Susan Haifleigh’s poetry travels the fault line between the existential and the miraculous, exploring what it means to human and sacred simultaneously. Her work has appeared in the book Story Medicine, online or in print in The Closed Eye Open, Beyond Words Literary Journal/Berlin, Peninsula Poets Journal, Women Raise Our Voices and will be included in the Anthology “Scar” in early 2025. She is one of ten writers selected for the first cohort of Fahmindan Journal/UK’s writing mentorship program. Susan lives just outside Detroit, Michigan, USA.