Purge

they warned us about the storm

that the water would be sucked from the sea

and spit on us like dragons

they pleaded with us

as they faced nefarious winds

in a painted

coiffed tableau

no hair out of follicle

no attire untidy

and told us

to tattoo names on our arms

in permanent marker

in case the water surged

and left us bloated in the attic

or drifting in places we didn’t belong

so the sea swelled

and salt erased

the unerasable

fracturing

the mangrove leaves

like bleached parchment

leaving us naked

undefined

rearranged

they warned us about the storm

that the water would rise

and lift everything to the sky

until

remnants of what was

floated like balsa

down streets that never accepted us

finally unplugged

and fat like sponges

their pale faces

expunged

because they were already

drowned