Moon lake,
Wider than memories,
I cross you in dreams.

Lazy waves carve
moon beams into scalloped blades
that cleave meat from bone
and stitch words into stories.

Over the lake,
And far above the moon,
A nighttime sky, silent and black,
Arcs in a gentle canopy.

I swam these waters, once,
Dove into their still depths
Until the black water tattooed my arms,
Ink on living paper.

Squat, dark trees line the shore.
Silver sunlight burnishes limbs,
Bare and spare.
Beneath my breastbone, lungs squeeze.

No stars lighten the sky.
No clouds soften the moon.
No giant fish preys below.
I am alone. Just me.

I do not panic, do not laugh,
Do not wonder or rage or weep.
I am still, remembering,
Before heading back to shore.