The sinking of the sun
upon an open sea,
slow and sweet like a droplet of honey,
rouses the depths.

As it slips past sight and
into the next life
I watch, gaze unbroken.
For an instant, that is all there is.

Radiance lingers in stained pupils
standing still in awe.
Into the water brandishing only naked flesh
I wade gradually as to not make a splash.

Perhaps I could convince
the universe to ignore
this drifting existence
so might I witness the world and nothing more.

Tantalizing and terrifying,
the sea is dramatic in every form.
Belittling. Lovely and calm. Startlingly vast…
I stare eye to eye with the infinite.

In cupped, leaky hands I hesitate to peer
into the fluid mirror trickling away,
desperate to obey universal laws—gravity for some… time for others.
The water will not betray my reflection…

I pray only to forgive my objections.

My face there on the surface
of the smooth, bending water. There my eyes, there the stars.
Deep beneath quivers my beating heart,
And below, into the abyss… I dare not question.

Lost in such a marvel,
breathing with the rhythm
of the swelling and withdrawing sea,
for now I can be certain, this is all there is.