Rolling and diving in the pond, their slick,
dark bodies slip through the water
like needles stitching into a great green cloth.
They vanish, then reappear, then vanish.
There, a tail! A nose! Two noses! A back,
then a belly, then a foot. The two chase
each other, then dive, then eat,
then wrestle, then dive, then eat,
then spool and reel in tandem grace.
If there is grief in their world, they don’t show it.
Loss seems unnoticed by them.
They corkscrew their bodies through
the afternoon. Because they’re alive,
they keep swimming. Because
they’re alive, they play.