On Opposite Shores

 

we found each other in the ocean waves

our young bodies sleek as seals

      diving through breakers before they beached

 

we swam with the tides

splashed in the sunshine

   floated quietly on moonlit nights

 

we drifted along with the flow

     that swept us into a river

        where the current was playful

            and the banks were sheltering green

 

at first, we hardly noticed the tidal shift

     the turbulence caught us unawares

            the undertow tugged at our feet

              rough water and rocky shores

                 marked our way with

                    dark days and moonless nights

 

until the joy we had shared was forgotten

at times I felt I was drowning when

            you swam away leaving me to flounder

    

I struggled alone for a while then

     summoned the strength to persevere

            until I found a safe harbour

 

for a very long time we watched

     each other on opposite shores

            until one day you

                     were no longer there

1st Place Winner, Poetry in Royal Canadian Legion District "E" Seniors Literary Contest, June 2025