Dave Hughes: The Deep

You are my mirage,

my illusion,

I swim down into the dark,

chest bursting,

ears roaring.

Your eyes are locked on mine,

Your hair fanning, framing, your freckled face.

I almost graze your fingertips,

but you drift into the deep.

My mouth is open.

But here, we have stopped hearing each others screams.

How long have you been gone?

Two years of chasing ghosts,

apparitions I willed into being.

I sold you tall tales of ships at sea,

created a storm in a teacup,

and drowned us.