Little God Attends Community Beach Yoga

Avni Vyas / "Little God Attends Community Beach Yoga"
Written By Avni Vyas
Artwork by Mimi Cirbusova

Artwork by Mimi Cirbusova

I learn about letting go
from white people chanting om.

If I watch the ocean in downward dog,
the birds stand single-legged,
resting between bursts of sky.

If I don’t, carpenter ants find us
this side of the dunes. Meanwhile,
the clouds smack their gum, whack
open the shutters of rental homes
to reveal seashell art, soft blue couches,
cartoon white bottles, single-use
soap coins, stiff hand towels,
a guest book full of bleached pages.

Then, they set me loose
in the Gulf, waving their sails at my farewell.

It only makes sense to head home fast.

A nice sound, home.

Wonder what language it’s reminding me of.

Avni Vyas

Avni Vyas is a poet living and writing in Florida. Her poetry and nonfiction can be found in journals such as Grist, Meridian, The Pinch, Juked, Crab Orchard Review, Better Magazine, Arts and Letters, Rigorous Magazine, and others. With Anne Barngrover, she is the co-author of the chapbook Candy in Our Brains (CutBank 2014). She is the Essays editor at Honey Literary, and poetry editor at The Offending Adam. She teaches in the Writing Program at New College of Florida. You can visit her on Instagram (@singstoosloud) and Twitter (@AvniDangerfield).

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