Cousin.... Poem by RIC BASTASA

you know my name, cousin.
you always call me by my name
always in the shallow part of the river
placid, i am, like a linen spread in bed
before sleep time,

we are bathing
and we tell stories about our ancestors
those brave warriors from the north
moving south, finding some fortune long denied them by fate

one day
you prefer to dive with me in the Deep
to find some pearls

the whirlpool sucked you in
and i tried to help, but you allowed it just the same to claim you

up there is the storm of sinking ships
down in where we are is the peaceful ocean floor

i touch your hand and then you breathe again
but it is too late then, you ask me who i am?

but i cannot speak anymore
for now i belong not to the earth but to the sea, the deepest sea

cousin, i am not your cousin.