Pond Creature

here I sit, at the pool where i first watched you sink.
i've skipped pebbles flat as your voice
across the point where my hand met your wrist
in an upward effort to bring you home.
i hoped you would hear me and emerge from the deep,
shedding your cold scales for a pair of warm arms.

i spent the night alone on the bank
watching in the dark for ripples along the water
and listening for the sound of your fins,
and though my mind and face were blank,
i wondered not why i came.

now my footprints keep yours company
on the roads that have taken me here;
your path appeared well-lit and i felt sure i had found my way.
but now as the sun pours over me
and i lean into the water, i can see to the bottom,
and i can clearly make out your form
as i watch you swim away