my darling, you are immense.
no map nor voyage nor aquarium exhibition
could impart this fully
(or perhaps, I did not listen.)
for when I was told,
we know less about the ocean's depths than outer space
I knew little about outer space.
for when I was told,
ocean life is diverse and ancient,
sharks are older than Saturn's rings, you know?
Saturn overlooked my birth,
and kept my stubborn, Capricorn allegiance.
for when the Black Sea broke
into laughter,
ripples on my thighs or shoulders,
it was a child's giggle
that left them gently tanned and sandy.
...
then my feet fell into icy waters one evening.
overlooking the pines and a strangled sun,
it stretched on
longer than I could have sailed,
deeper ______________sunk,
darker ______________ seen
and that quiet gap between
held all my senses in awe.
you were an ocean that never curved.