Tell me a story

Tell me a story

You say, and I begin again.
The beginning, always my favorite part
sweet on my tongue, fleeting

But I am ever hopeful
digging now for middles and ends
that are deeper and darker

And boiling with life, like the depths
of a sea where lampreys
sway like seaweed, and dance

In the current and swallow
the silvery trout who swims too deep—
you might say the trout dies

Or you might say they become one?
There is no ending, is there?
It’s all a loop, this story—

It’s as endless as the sea evaporating
graying blue skies, falling again, rain, rain
pocking the choppy waves

Feel the spray on your face, wet as
the spit in your mouth, the blood in your veins
salty as the tears brimming

Below the surface, unshed, underneath
Tell me please, what really separates above from below?
If I dive in, will you swallow me whole?