The Youthful Santiago of Seychelles
Like a Hemingway hero, she becomes
an accidental passenger,
taken above in her tiny boat
by a massive fish.
She can’t ask his name
or recognize his voice, but
below, he is covered in
spots - a giant footprint
in a constellation unique to him.
She tries to memorize them
so she can recognize him,
make his spots her spots,
and finally make him -
gigantic to the point of
fisherman’s quiet respect - her’s.
A shark with tiny, useless teeth
doesn’t fight or bite but
he does something worse.
He dives below into blues
she can’t see and
leaves her with her own current.