John Vanderslice

Wild Strawberries

John Vanderslice


wholly and totally brave I swam
under dying filipino light
fighting and furious against the tide
'cause I lost our keys in the sea
diving deep under coral reef

following treeline on the shore
I stumbled back to the road
left you on the hood of a rented ford
I looked back, it was the last time
I saw you alive

still light follows
the same rules that I do
reflecting off the water
never making it down to the bottom