Shells and seaweed 
clumps and sea grape leaves, 
stony coral, jelly palm fruit, fronds – 
who gathered these and why
pursue a form that would be razed 
by noon, by dog, by ball, by foot or wave 

or hand? Someone must have knelt 
for hours on the level, pre-light shore 
to make this toppled goddess 
with her calcium carbonate clavicle, 
seashell smile, still 

and unable to stretch or swim 
or rise or utter any words 
against or in defense of her creator.

Published June 8, 2025

Maya Bernstein’s writing has appeared in Allium, the Amethyst Review, On the Seawall, the Ekphrastic Review, Gashmius Magazine, The Lehrhaus, Niv Magazine, Pensive: A Global Journal of Spirituality and the Arts, SWIMM Every Day, Vita Poetica, and elsewhere. She is a graduate of the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence College. Her first collection is There Is No Place Without You (Ben Yehuda Press, 2022). Maya serves on the board of Yetzirah: A Hearth for Jewish Poetry.

Madhurima Ganguly was born and raised in Indian, Kolkata 1983. She obtained her B.F.A (2007) and M.F.A (2009) from Rabindra Bharati University, India specializing in sculpture. In 2011, she moved to
the United States and since then has been showing her work in various prestigious shows around USA and in India. She had a solo show at the Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor, Michigan (2018). In the year 2019 and 2022, she had solo shows at River House Arts Gallery in Toledo, Ohio. She is a visual art practitioner and art educator. She is currently represented by River House Art Gallery, Toledo, Ohio and actively shows her works through New York Pen and Brush Gallery. www.madhurimaganguly.com