Sink, Don't Swim, poetry by Tinamarie Cox at Spillwords.com

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Sink, Don’t Swim

Tinamarie Cox·June 8, 2025

Poetry English

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Sink, Don’t Swim

written by: Tinamarie Cox

How lovely she sank.
So quietly, without any movement of her limbs.
No struggle against your current.
A graceful acceptance of her fate.
Just like the good little girl
you wanted her to be.
Every whipping motion of your tongue
paralyzed her.
She continued to grow
under the influence of your words,
each a stone’s weight.
Don’t you dare ask her
to start swimming now.
She lives at the bottom of the sea.

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Tinamarie Cox

Tinamarie Cox lives in Northern Arizona with her husband and two children. She writes to escape her mind and explore the universe. Tinamarie typically writes poetry and her work can be found in several publications.

Suman Pokhrel

Suman Pokhrel is a Nepali poet, lyricist, playwright, translator, and artist. He debuted in 1999 with a poetry collection and has since published works, including translations of Shakespeare and global poets. His poems are translated into many languages and taught across South Asia. A two-time SAARC Literary Awardee, he also received Asia’s Inspiring Poet Award and was named Author of the Month by Spillwords in June 2023. Beyond literature, he works as a freelance consultant in socio-economic research, rural development, entrepreneurial development and creative writing. He began his career in Nepal’s civil service and later worked with international NGOs. He holds degrees in Science, Law, Business Administration, and Economics.

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I looked between herself and the girls. Jesus Christ, I said in my own mind, Mental Mick is after stealing all my crayons that I’d been hoarding for myself there before the break...

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