i.
she played a mermaid, once,
in a made for TV movie.
the ratings weren’t great, in case
you’re curious,
making it a one-off event.
i didn’t see it either,
but through her many re-tellings
can picture my sweet
on bone-white sand
and bathed in pale moonlight,
her bare shoulders
glistening while foaming waves
lap at the prosthetic fin.
ii.
it’s sink or swim, she
likes to say,
an expression admittedly handy
for a myriad of situations —
like on a blind date
or your first day of work.
the setting sun stains
our faces in red and umber
as an evening breeze
picks up, an array of distant sailboats
tacking back to shore.
