Swimming in Grief

By the time we met, I had been treading water so long, Webbing had sprouted between my toes. You were so new to the sorrow. So unfamiliar With the way it pulls at your legs- Threatening to take you down, To the dark depths below. I taught you how to stay afloat- Strengthened the muscles you needed To keep your head above the water. The world had threatened to drown us, But we were alive- together. So it took me by surprise When you turned your back on the cresting tide, And headed for the shore. All this time I thought We were both swimming In the same ocean of grief. I should have known That once the churning current subsided, You would push your way back To the lush sturdy soil. You've gone where I cannot chase you- My body no longer remembers How to stand upright. We still talk sometimes- Strain to hear each other Over the crashing waves, I can't help but wonder If you ever feel the tug of the tide As it laps at the sand beneath your feet. Can you hear the conch shell in your chest Call you out to sea?