Feature: “A Stranded Song” by Hridi Das

Release Date: June 1, 2021
Publisher: 47North
Genre: Fantasy

Description

Written in poetic prose, this is a tale of a siren and a shipwreck.

Praise

“A pantheon of allusions marries human heartache to the grief of gods. Das’ poetry lives in the celestial sea between the human and the divine.” – Sarah Davidson

“Das’ word choice and structuring are reminiscent of abandoned ship graveyards dotting the coast of Chile.” – Liam Von Egmond

Excerpt

The possibility is made of gossamer and she all but adorns herself with it as he laments at not leaving a piece of his own fabric behind. The regret dangerously metamorphosizes into hope, time and time again. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

And then it is gone.

As quick as it came.

The silence descends once more
and she believes herself to be able to bear the burden as she has already gone through the ordeal once before.

But the distance keeps growing
and she feels the grief acutely in her veins, ichor ebbing and flowing with an unfamiliar violence, a threat of a riptide drowning her whole. She forces herself to imagine the act as satiating her thirst instead, transforming her choking to a swallow instead, as ribbons of brackish water betray her from the corner of her eyes.

She lies on the edge of the sea, sharpened by sand and stone
and sinks into it. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The betrayal is razor sharp against her skin.

But the scars do not web on her skin but instead cut deeper into her psyche, where she all but knows will require her utmost tenderness to nurse. She will feel the echo of it for the years to come, the whisper in her head for all other sailors she will encounter.

She realizes that he has betrayed her in the very way he vowed not to do. That she was not worthy of even an echo through the conch or a message wrapped by the smallest piece of sea glass.

Her mind whirls at the abject cruelty, the callousness so at odds with the person she had known.

She despairs that she will never be understood by another the same way, the very way she felt she needed to be understood.

And for a long moment,

it feels like that.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Order direct from Hridi Das’ website.

About the author

Hridi Das is originally from Bangladesh and currently lives in Ontario, Canada. She holds an MLIS along with an honour’s bachelor degree in biopsychology. Currently, she works in corporate librarianship on the acquisitions side. A Stranded Song is her second poetry chapbook. When she isn’t learning choreography from several different dance styles, drawing, learning languages (she knows 4 so far), or writing, you might find her developing recipes Chopped-style or spending too much money on sunscreen.

Website: https://payhip.com/HridiD

Twitter: @hridi23

Instagram: @hridi23