i swim farther in and bump
into an underwater mound
not hard to locate once you hit it
a place away from uncertainties
you can touch bottom if you stand on tiptoe
got to try hard to keep balance though
undercurrents push you away
into shallower brooks
get hit by the rocks
not far away dog is barking anxiously
she can’t see me and thinks she’s losing me
has her own uncertainties
i dart back to her
pull her along onto the mound
so we can catch our breath
hold her really tight and stand there a while
just our heads above the surface
each of us understanding life in our own way
when i come back to this pond now
there’s quite a few more spots
where i can touch the bottom
rocks too
but i wade toward the center
till i get to that mound
stand on the uncertainties that remain
then submerge in that silence
and disregard my body’s complaints
about the temperature
sometimes i can still
hear my dog paddling behind
trying to reach me
almost feel her coming
i will wait
i wait
