In the front seat

Your mouth filled with bright red blood
We laughed as you put the mask on
And I got into position
To go down
To the beach
We saddled up against the rocks
Where fishermen waded
Waves running down on the line

Your friends were all in the water up to their knees
The trees you planted lined the walkway
Isn’t this what you asked for?
It was complete trust in the process

I believed the hard work would pay off
Though it wasn’t mine to say

Why don’t you come over here

It’s hard to explain why I won’t back down
To live in a cave as shelter
The way it feels to press through a layer of skin
The taste salty with additives

Really I mean it

Catch and release isn’t only a strategy
It’s a respect of the process
Of desire
Which has its own language

After we file back to the parking lot
Lamenting a job well done
While full enough
We can find our way out of here
And hold still until next time