Family Snap

Family snap

I stand watching you in the waves
You followed my steps to avoid the stones
When I turned round and realised
When I saw what you were doing behind me
I pressed harder on them
I wonder what it would be like if you were swept away
What I would do if this was the last time I saw you
Years later I might stand here
compelled to be near your last moments
and loving you so much still
I might stagger into the water
and cut my feet to ribbons

In that photograph
You are walking away from me
He follows you
I carry her
Our backs are turned
I can see the separation
And remember the way you would stand looking at the sea
In a reverie of some kind
While all I could think was
How much I didn't want to know what you were thinking

Love is so startling
And pain so deliberate sometimes
But the waves keep coming in
Mocking us with their simple power