breathe
dive
breathe again
become
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dive
Did you fall in love?
Did you fall in love?
No, I dove.
angry sun whipped-up sea dusty wind
I
dive
deep
deep
down
lead-tipped arrow straight
the sand chills my hand
his name inked
To the cliff divers, scars on ankles and legs are badges of honour. The razor-sharp rocks take their toll, a thread of blood through clear water sniffed up by the eels and sea spirits.
Yesterday Marco wavered in his concentration. When he pulls himself back up to the ledge, a vein or a muscle in his neck twitches. Blood flows from his shoulder. Leon 2012. Only part of his oldest tattoo can be seen but his brother is never forgotten. His memory is in Marco’s hot, scarred heart, his name inked into his skin.
G was the first to dive
G was the first to dive from above our heads today. Unlike in the November snow, he left no tracks. The fizz of where he hit the water died, the ripples faded and lapped against the rocks. No trace. But the rocks are wet until the sun rises above the lip of the inlet.
Boys diving at Acquaviva
Sharp silhouette diving
Split second swift wing curving
Needle straight into the deep
Deep down
I ripped open the pillows, the duvets, and emptied them out, climbed onto the wardrobe, held my breath and dove into the deep deep down.
I dive from the rocks of my now
I dive from the rocks of my now into the sea of my memories. Those I am so desperate to hold twist silver as lightning away from my grasp. Lungs aching, fists empty, I float back to the surface, my tears mixed with the salt. Again from sharp rocks I look down and I see them, peacefully swirling and calm. Again from the rocks I dive into my memories. This time I am so sure.
First published on paragraphplanet.com 22 July 2015
simonsalento 