the crumpled ocean is no boat trip,

dark water stole my clothing.

a shape stirs beneath me,
a pulse pounds along bloodstreams,
the first bite marks the beginning of
the clotheless wrestle with the clotheless animal.

bare those teeth to me please, man eater

you can see all of me, naked with fear

this is the test i left land for,
to grip flesh and pull muscle in
the vice clinch of the struggle i can't
give in to the weight of
the clotheless wrestle with the clotheless animal.

my enemy please stay close to me,

i've no breath left, you cold breath thief

the last gasp from a burst lung,
the fight fathers a weak son
the last taste of salt in my mouth
my skin breaks, with no sound
i'm torn limb from limb
there is bone, there is gristle and spit in

the clotheless wrestle with the clotheless animal.