QUESTIONS FOR LANE

What do you think 

when the monster
first comes
out of the sea
and takes you?
What runs through
your mind
as he yanks you by the arm
like an angry parent?
Do you have time
to say, “I think they call
this swimming,
boy, the water
feels warm, and look at
all those pretty bubbles?”
Are your eyes peeled, as you
go under, for Ariel, Sebastian,
or Nemo, or are you just trying
to get your lungs
to work the way
they used to
only seconds before?
Do you have the presence
of mind to stop and think
of second chances and how,
clearly,
next time you should stand farther
from the shore?
What is your first thought
when you see your mother
back at the blanket
when her hand flying to her mouth
and the fear in her eyes
are your first and only indications
of danger?
Do you pray, as if for
Communion, that
when you get back
there might still be some
Cheerios left in the Tupperware
and maybe just
one more drop of
juice in the sippy cup?
What do you think, Lane,
when you see
your father,
who like a knight,
is fighting that giant green dragon,
inches from your limbs,
but to no avail?
Do you think,
that's okay, Daddy,
God has me now
and rest assured,
I know
how hard you tried?