(maybe) sometimes always never

Swimming the snaky river
the sunlight blanched our skin
so that we regarded reflections
of sickly stomachs and arms
as venomous currents
in the watery shine.

Below the river was dark
and the gold surface transformed
grasses to serpents or serpents to grasses
so we swam carefully
between the passing images or
directly into seeming snakes.

We lay out on the bank,
resuscitated soldiers
our lungs filled with pungent air.
our chests settled & silence
overpowered us.

I wanted to tell you,
I still missed you.
You asked me why
we were always
swimming this river.