put down the book put down the pen put down the cup of coffee

                                                                   watching all the while

dont do anything long nothing deep or involved shallow

                                                           shallow  keep things shallow

the riffsthe tongues of surf stir sand tumble debris tickle palepurple quiet urchinspines turn tiny bivalveshells butterflied and halved

            which tempt him makes him think of the times they held hands and rushed the waves then dove in headlong together

he taught her to hold her breath

                                  blew in her face when she was a baby so she caught her breath and submerged her went under with her so she could see he was there he was with her  holding her

he remembered

remembering would have to keep him for now

they were enclosed

they could see out through the French doors through the glass

on the other side of the glass is too far away

sometimes five feet is too far away when the hat drops ANTHEYREOFF!

                                                                         without a moments notice  theres no rhyme definite reason I can’t breathe. 

                                 three syllables  Imagine with scarcely a breath in your lungs I can’t breathe

you exhale cant inhale never more helpless in your life except since the last time

her eyes bulged

she cant panic

we revive herget her air

                         she breathes again on her own

we fear the terrible momentthe terrible reality the moment she wont

                                                                          and well be there

I can’t breathe.

she cant tell us  we have to watch

she cant speak

                she hasnt in more than six months

we miss her voice and laughter desperately

0808,  Twosday,  4  2. 20

1208, Friday,  24  7. 20