[gothshakira]

cimitero monumentale, milan, december 2024

a white feather floated down from a clear sky right between my eyes. a feline guardian, watchful, protected her soul-friend 200 years departed. names chiseled in stone still faded by the elements, and all that was left was a black-and-white photo set in a glass oval frame. no one knows his name anymore, but he looked like a tempest on a mountain.

[teetheater333]

an ode to eaters (teeth eater)

[gothshakira]

tallinn, estonia, december 2024

the cromatico sculpture is a fairy portal. i sang to the trees in each concrete pod, which compelled me to pirouette. my silver ring flew off into the snow. i knew they were playing with me. i asked them for it back, and then i saw it glistening. capsizing crystallized blades of grass under my feet, i sparkled with the eerie feeling of being observed.

[gothshakira]

somewhere in the swiss alps, december 2024

thirteen hours of winding alpine sheen to think about all the ways i could be left. a lone snowshoer fell through the ice. we watched him through the glass. when the moon fell and i entered the portal of our apartment in lambrate, all had thawed.

[gothshakira]

airport, dakar, december 2022

eight hours over pure ocean. the air was fragrant-stagnant. it felt like we had stepped onto another planet. i ate fruit and bread and watched the surf i couldn’t touch. i gave the driver a bottle of chanel no. 5 and a gold necklace with a pearl embedded in it.

[gothshakira]

lockdown, los angeles, 2020

every time i step into the waves i thank the ocean goddess and ask my guides to keep me safe. i put my surfboard in the shower and use a glass bowl to carefully rinse her of salt. on moon day i refresh my altar offerings, a cup of filtered water next to a white candle. i am almost certain that this is why i am still alive.

[gothshakira]

duomo di milano, milan, september 2022

i had 15 minutes at the principe di savoia to pack for the flight. all of the tears that fell into my suitcase had dried by the time we landed in london.

[gothshakira]

tati au miel, venice beach, 2021

our third ocean together. two aquarians, afraid of heights. we rode the ferris wheel anyways.

[gothshakira]

somewhere over the atlantic, december 2022

the waterman

[gothshakira]

hollywood, 2022

the seers

[gothshakira]

lockdown, los angeles, 2020

the crematorium poisoned the air. we rode our bikes to the empty gallery to lay on the roof and breathe. bottles of sparkling water were left over from openings. in the early hours of the morning, there was the soft glow of the yoga livestream. he slept in my bed for three months, until the tide pools saved us.