In the museum and
looked at humans bathing
in fresh streams and open
fields

***** bottles on display and
butterflies on display

the evening turned to gold
I was mesmerized by
my own footsteps
their constant motion

the leaves,
plants and bugs left
an orchestra of singing sounds

my feet enveloped by
the mud, pulling me in
to stay

swimming in these deep waters
I say
“This
is the most peaceful experience
I’ve ever had”

In the wetness and
quietness,
a heron flies by, a symbol of
wisdom

“Really?”
swimming backwards where the fish
jump out and spring with delight
“I wouldn’t say it if I
didn’t mean it”.

the smile I will never forget
speaking about having
a house on the water
and bathing in streams,
just like the museums

Eye contact
Takes hold
A coming of age
Bittersweetness overtakes
me.

We spoke of how
the pine trees there
were
so far away from
home

Yet, we both
felt the
same way.

Getting lost in the darkness
after a cool swim in the
river,
You put a flashlight on


The overwhelming sunset had
passed,
and overcoming our confusion,

We watched the bats
with their tricks in the air,
daintily gliding and
searching for
small insects.

I remember my faint
Breaths, climactic
Walking and breathing through the
twigs and leaves

“it would be exciting to glide like
that”.

I watch the dance
of four bats,
celebrating our bodies as
intricate lures for
small bugs

small vampires
nip my skin,
unknowing of the
romantic, short
symbiotic relationship

the walk back to my
vehicle is isolated and
cold,
wishing I was
swimming in those cool waters
once again