A Sea Diver....The Coron Thing... Poem by RIC BASTASA

at first it was acceptable
talking to a stranger

always casual, no depth
like a leaf on the surface
of a muddy pool

then you learn, something
is not acceptable, always
with caution, talking to a wall

where you cast your shadow
and then a conversation without

words begins, you wear weights
around your body to meet a sunken

ship on the depths of Malcapuya
island, where a big black fish

meets you to tell another story
and there, because it is too

beautiful, you begin to forget
how is it to listen. Everybody

speaks here, and there is no
sound. It is simply amazing

and yet it is not acceptable.
Everyone lives here peaceably.