Out in the Cold

When I have broken the ice shall I slip

Into the water, let my breath dissipate as I

Return to my element, seeking the sea.

Cold comfort that I breathe water more readily, still,

That I can ride the buffeting waves, find the motion

Of the ocean once more like the steps of a dance

Never halted, never halting, and even in the depths

There isn't room enough, isn't peace enough,

Isn't love enough? But I've thought myself loved before

And it hurts more to lose than to have.

Slip back into my skin, hide it all away again,

Removed from aught that lives on land

Letting the water make of my rough edges sand

Until at last I pass to foam.