If in your dreams the tide wakes you,
ask of the sand,
“What did I do to bring me here?”
And in answer the sea will swallow you
in torrents of salted waves
and churning white-blue foam.
And at the pale bottom of the ocean,
on a bed of seashells and drowned men,
you will find her lying.
And she will answer,
“You were never supposed to be here;
it was fear that brought you to me.”

Ty Zhang is a law student, writer, and political organizer based in Ohio. He writes in a range of mediums including poetry, prose, and screenplay. He is an alumnus of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and was a finalist in the Boston Screenplay Awards.