Underneath the water her body rests suspended,
Buoyant cloud, black, drifting thru molecules
A teabag sleeping in a coffee cup, with writing
On the outside, or a picture of some famous author -
Joyce, no……..maybe Carroll? Liars either way -
And I want to sip her, the hot liquid quite in the cup
Still mouse creeping along, minding its own business
Her mouth isn’t seen, just the body - the way it curves
Aerodynamically treading the water under her head as if
It were invisible, a secret cove flooded by pirates ages ago
When people were pirates with eye patches and such things
As treasures existed within deep caverns where Earth swallowed
The key; lost in abundant fury for a moment, hidden - shallow
She floats, the pond a chestnut Christmas present I want to crack.

Amanda McQuade