The Bends

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 THE BENDS

         


At a certain depth the voices

all thrum at the same, garbled pitch. 

Both wisdom and the waiting swarm


of bees call you up for air, 

both wisdom and the Anglerfish

draw you deeper. Do you paddle faster 


from Leviathan or close your eyes

and wait? Once inside, do you stab

the tender heart or caress it?


There’s leagues on leagues

but we’re in out of ours

and the tanks are low. You die


if you come up too quick, you die 

if you don’t surface soon,

and at this sounding we won’t be


dragged out by the light 

of the moon. As to good news,

the returned ship sloshes vacant at port


while the wreck is found 

at rest on solid ground, home now 

to an ecosystem riddled with life.


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