I had not realized death was so near.

I simply had not realized.

There is still grime gathered at the bottom of the shower curtain.

And we are pulled toward opposite ends of the pool -

I cannot kick fast enough

whenever I should pace myself;

breathing in salts

suffocates our tryouts.

I cannot get through to you

when the coast is so near;

I cannot get through to you when I'm with sharks.

Blue ones, Hammer ones, such big, great, Whites.

But mostly Mako.

One can never go in too deep, you see:

silence threatens, threatens, threatens

like sonar bouncing off reef walls,

as if there are no other feet

pacing over the trenches.

I simply had not realized.

[...]

In order to be this far off shore,

I had to be alone.