Floating

Why is it you never have a heavy heart or
better yet why is it that you hide it so well?
Do you live in your head full of facts and figures
or are there secrets there just waiting under the surface
for an afternoon in the pool floating
when floating there, your mouth will be close to my ear
and you'll be the merman I drag from the water
and hold in my arms and you'll tell me the secrets of the sea
and I'll tell I'm afraid to be bold in a world that never
appreciates anything bold in a woman

Maybe we'll just to go the sea and you can take me
to the bottom of the ocean and there
we will be this mercouple swimming happily
We'll leave a note, something cryptic about love
and desire and adventure
We'll mention we'll be back when we're done
when we are done having deep sea picnics listening
to the symphony on a coral reef
when we are done dancing under the bright moon
when you finally get around to singing me that song
when

Can you fill a lifetime of kisses in an afternoon floating?
Love is never forever
someone always dies or leaves or falls right out
I've never read a happy ending to a love story
Imagine finding a man who can hold his breath for days
in very wet conditions only to have him eaten by a shark
Even in the time of cholera in the love of it
he waited and waited and waited and we all waited
we all waited for him, Marquez's broken-hearted warrior
to hold her in his arms
I can't wait 50 years, I'm not sure I can wait 50 days
especially in very damp conditions

When we are floating and you are holding me
I know I'd give up my legs and live in the sea
and yes I know that in this life there is no promise
there is no love guarantee
Would you want someone to stay if all they were doing
was planning their escape?
The definition of love is freedom and in that free fall
they cling to you, dragging you below the surface
take one last breath and give your heart freely
say it first, don't hesitate you may not get another chance
the sharks are circling today you see
and I can hear the man say
"We need a bigger boat."
and the worst you will hear is nothing
say it, whisper it, take his hand in your hand
and draw the letters in his palm
I Love You, say it quickly, say it slowly, say you'll
do it just a little even when he knows you are a girl
who can't love anything just a little

Listen to the rules, nod and know he'll break them first
if you are clever and if you hold back just a little
and give him the space, he'll find you
under the conk shell, your heart leaving a stain on the sand
leaving a hole in your chest
because I have to tell you this, lean on me and listen closely
there is only one you
there is no reason for you to worry
there is no pain that could replace the moment he pushes
and you push back and he owns you for a few brief moments
dance at the prom, say yes just this one time,
smile and know that if you jump, the parachute will open
as it always does
you will land on the ground
and the fall won't kill you
in fact it may just save you

Today I am a fool for love
love's devotee
The vessel of hope, the ever fragile glass
vessel of living thing
is beating in my chest and I can feel it
down to my little toe
coursing with thoughts of only you
This is not a surprise to the you of my heart
the ever constant you
this is to you, the gentle reader
the one who wonders of love's desperate call
will it knock on your door and drag you to the sea?
I can tell you that when i was sure that was impossible
when there was no tiny bottle on my beach
there was a mighty wind and suddenly I was pulled under the toe
and I was a cynic and just as I was sure this heart of stone
would pull me under for good
I finally found a boy who could swim

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Write someone you love a poem today or paint a fish or sing a song on the lawn in the ice. Tell someone you are out there in the world just wandering and wondering and swimming. It works. I am full of hope for all of us today.

Carrie.