you are the Puget Sound
I don’t know why
it took me
so long to see

the longer your hair got
the more Puget Sound you became

I first realized it
in the shimmer of early morning
as you towel-dried your hair
your long legs dripping ice-cold water
from an early morning plunge

when I watched you
while wishing I’d had the guts
to hold you like I wanted to
when there was still time

you were the walking embodiment of Lake Washington
ethereal
ephemeral
full of light and wind and magic

oh you’re the Puget Sound, [redacted]

when I think of you
on bicycle
in a car
hiking across the country
I wish other people knew
how much of the Puget Sound they were staring in the face

how your lanky body seems beautifully human
but when they hear you laugh
when they hug you
when they love you

it’s like drowning in the freezing water off the San Juan’s
and coming up for air at the same time