Diving

Take a lover, my love, and tell me you've done it. 
Plunge your heart deep in some other bright sea,
Some glittering harbour that sparkles with colours
That I'll never show you, then swim back to me. 

Go diving, my love, and follow the shimmering
Shoals, silver-spangled, that flicker and dance,
Over reefs and down canyons; pursue them as fast
And as far as they go, if you're offered the chance. 

There are pearls to be found in the depths, my love,
Enclosed in their mantles, to taste or to keep.

Breathe in, and stay under as long as you dare. 
Surrender yourself to the swallowing deep,

Come home shaking salt from your beard, my love,
With shells in your pockets and sand in your toes,
And little dark smiles that twist at the edge
Of your mouth, bearing secrets that only she knows. 

You can drift in and out with the tide, my love,
From these gentle shores where you've lingered too long. 
Don't make me your anchor; I won't be your chain,
The mast that you're strapped to. Go follow that song. 

There are treasures, my love, that are not in my gift,
But this I would give you: go forth and be free,
And marry yourself to the changing, unknowable,
Boundless, eternal, unyokable sea.