Why is she searching? – Kaira Low

Her father took her to the lake

To fish for old, rusty coins that had sunk to the

Bottom.

She asked him if she could go for a swim,

And he agreed,

So she dived

Down into the depths of the lake until she passed

By her late brother—his body

Swaddled by the green, filmy liquid.

She could not see him fully, only

The denim jacket that still covered him.

She called out to him as she slowly fell

Deeper.

The water turned from green to black,

And her vision no longer served her.

But it was when she reached rock

Bottom

That she saw a great fish.

The fish said to her:

“This treasure you store

in the depths of the sea—

Do you believe that it’ll last forever?

Your garish goblets and glittering jewelry

are sunken in the coral reefs, lost to yesterday—

Why are you still searching?

Your heart is hardened; the sea is a wasteland

of your darkened desire.

Look up, and fix your eyes upon the light!”

The Lord had sent this fish to swallow her,

So that it would vomit her back onto land.

He hoped she would return

With something greater than coins.

Kaira Low lives in the suburbs of Southern California and is currently an undergraduate student pursuing Public Relations at Biola University. She is an editor, blog writer, and social media coordinator for *Inkslinger*, Biola’s student-run literary and arts journal. Her work deals with nostalgia, love, loss, and the beauty of creation.