Under a Bridge at the Riverwalk, San Antonio, August 1999

Mary Urban

You wanted to wade in it, to
see how deep it actually is
and I wondered if it was as deep as your silence.
Would it measure that?
I wonder if you enter this holy water —
will it baptize you into my world?
I saw you almost step in, right after those
people passed us. You didn't see me compare us
to their happiness, you just looked at that
green water, like it would solve things.
Is this what was missing all this time?
Will you see my reflection in the water and
realize I'm still here, but shocked silent?
Will it jump up and splash you in the face
to wake you up to what's going on?
This water could dissolve what separates us,
but Michael was right, it's just a sewer.