they say           we ran into the ocean with all our clothes
they say           i was jealous of you
say        we live on an island
              we are a city     on an island
our clothes salted crisp              and we enter

i say      i swam your hair
i say      your hair was a river 
say        your hair was a river and i swam it         that’s all
              endless unnatural blue
                             i know as you
strange      how very strange     we were both
             we were both swimming
do we think my riverhair was a bridge
do we think it flowed into the ocean we swam
do you think you swam until you were swimming
with me

we will know     if we know who dreamt first         no
that’s why i was jealous             time was still 
working for you              i felt the dead
rub their palms together   but there was no
                                        friction

was it night                     it was night         the sun was out
this was a dream           and we were dragged                    down

where were we              when i emerged
still swimming
you didn’t care that you were wet
              all of my belongings        wet
and there was a fire       on our island     i saw it  
in your wet        eyes      a high blaze
             a reckoning        a rebirth

and when we stood in the reflection       of sunful night
you became many           you were one   you were none  
             we were still we
your riverhair caught fire             my clothes dried
             you wore only your bones
my swimming hands grieved    my swimming hands grieve
the fire grew in your eyes         you understood before i did
                                          i understood
to leave was also to arrive

you swam          you swam           you swam
and i could not swim after