buried treasure

She says my heart is deep
under the water a good five fathoms
whatever a fathom is

So it is and so is yours
We are all under the water somewhere
like Spanish coins lost for centuries
still glittering
still worth what they were
and more

Looking at my children
I see its slow breath-catching course
sideways and slipping
down
through the green then deeper
black
to the bottom

Sometimes a stray shaft of light
the sun the moon
may catch its bright edge
and it will flare a greeting softly and so quick

There it is

I know it most days but even I have to search now
search for my own heart
and all the shining flashing kisses of the waves above
bear no resemblance to this
dull gold

I cannot bring the water level down or
lift the bottom up
The depth is just where it fell
and there is nothing I can do about that

If you find it hard to know me
don’t accuse me of hiding
I am in plain view
If you are willing to
come down and look