before the divorce
before he walked away
from all of us
we were on vacation
in Clearwater Beach
the two of them –
my son and his dad –
next in line to JetSki
listening to the safety talk
No horseplay.
Keep your lifejacket fastened.
Keep your distance from other watercraft.
we were watching the father and son
before us, hearing the talk just moments
before as they’d stood where we stood
when it happened
collision!
we thought they’d get back up and
run the waves some more
but they didn’t.
the son swam to his dad
he’d just t-boned
probably wondering why
their laughter and horseplay
had stopped
a passing tour boat pulled the body
aboard, not knowing there was
no longer hope
we stood and watched
I still wonder about all we
carry~ all that kid carries ~
the paralyzing impact of loss
in all its forms
Common Threads 
Wow. I can only imagine how devastating this was to witness, let alone that son, carrying and living with the weight of this event for the rest of his life. Sorrow and loss bring so many dimensions – just like those ripples on the water. Who can say where they end?
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