Bioluminescence

By Mary Morris

At night, off the coast of Turkey
nestled between ruins of Olympus

and the Taurus Mountains—the sea
lights up with green neon plankton

so that the woman who dives, splashing
off the bow of our boat, swims,

divides, cresting her own
galaxies and constellations—

a Milky Way encircling her body
aglow, mesmerizing all on deck.

It is her eightieth birthday. Yes,
she is radiant.

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Mary Morris’s poems appear in Poetry Magazine, North American Review, Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, and Prairie Schooner. She is the author of four books of poetry: Enter Water, Swimmer (runner-up for the X.J. Kennedy Prize), Dear October (Arizona-New Mexico Book Award), and Late Self-Portraits (Wheelbarrow Book Prize). Her fourth book, Lanterns in the Night Market, will be released Spring 2025.