He must have eyes
Like the sea
To be with me
And a smile
Like the gleam
From a dolphin’s eye
Don’t ask me why.
Those who ask
Will never know
Where the forests
Of wild kelp grow
Pulling us down
In the undertow
Sprout gills, me hearties
And swim with me
Deep down into
Our caverns of pain
Where we think we will never
Emerge again
But you hold the flashlight
And we’ll bravely go in
To face our ghostly pasts again
Once and for all
To be not afraid
Of all of our failures
And the messes we’ve made
To bury there
All judgment and fault
Locked away forever
Like a vault
Are you deep enough
To swim with me
To these places
Where sharks may be?
And electric eels
And sea anemones
With poisonous spines
That sting like bees?
If you leave too quick
You could get the bends
What do you think?
Can you handle it, friend?
There are no maps
But you can follow the stars
A stitch in time
Will take you far
Along the glittering
Sands of my shore
I’ll meet you there
Forevermore.
By Marguerite Louise Bryant