Dive Buddy (Magma, July 2020)

Authors: Rob Jackson

Dive Buddy

We put on our masks

and descend, keeping at arm's length,

near enough to close when needed.

We flick by a nurse shark,

Eldorado fins with barbels down,

past a leatherback, broad-shouldered,

flippers thick and muscled,

pass a pompano and its sleek, slicked-back silhouette.

Near dive's end my son veers off with a pod

of dolphins, skin taut and smooth,

briefly flipping over on his back

for a final glance, a teenager

finning off into the blue for good.