every edge of the ocean by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai

every edge of the ocean
by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai

for stephanie, mj, and kealoha

if i follow the waves from here,
i can find my way home:

kealoha dips his fingers in the sand,
squints at the smiling of the sun

his skin becomes slick with ocean,
dives the waves, rolls over coral,

he plunges his face in -
water swims in his throat,

he is stronger than i can imagine,
gripping the rocky face of the waterfall

i sputter and dare myself
into the crashing water.

its roaring alone chokes my throat.

stephanie waits on the rock
beyond the tidepool.

knees drawn together, her spine
round over her backpack.

a safehouse, a protection.

mj beats us to the source, where water
trickles over a black table of stone.

she twists her blonde hair against itself,
parts her arms and calls out, "hello lover"
 
fragments of missouri dripping from her mouth. 

i scoot the wall of stone backwards,
skittish like a crab,

my whole body gasps for certainty -

as kealoha places his toes to the edge,
offers his upturned hands to the trees,
and jumps.