WATERLOGGED FOOL FOR LOVE  (4-30-2022, 3:30am, Palm Springs, California)

   
oh waterfall  
my waterfall    
how could you    
ever fall    
for me    
when regardless    
of my shallow    
doubts    
it seems  
here now  
in retrospect    
that you somehow  
still nonetheless  
both  
did and do  
and as  
you fell for me  
i could not  
help but  
fall for you    
or so i thought    
at the time    
as only such    
a hopelessly romantic    
fool like me    
can do    
to such a degree    
as i have here    
for you    
as well  
as i have  
for many  
other  
falling waterfalls    
like you  
ive encountered  
up close  
and intimately  
personal    
throughout  
my distant travels  
in this life  
but then again    
how can    
any human being    
no matter  
however  
open minded  
they are  
or not    
ever truly know  
or judge me  
as too strange  
for words  
in their  
more limited  
little  
linear world  
made of words  
which has  
ironically  
made it all  
throughout mankinds  
and their own  
historical time  
here  
all it  
has now  
so tragically become  
unless  
or until    
they too    
have experientially    
fallen  
and felt  
that way  
themselves  
as well    
but aside from    
all that    
no sooner  
than i    
first felt    
and realized that  
i had    
completely    
fallen for you    
and proclaimed  
my elemental  
living love    
aloud    
and surrendered  
completely  
my all    
to that sudden    
ecstatic    
astonishing fact    
when suddenly    
to my    
stunned surprise    
you grabbed    
my leg    
then pulled    
me in
and over  
to truly fall    
with you    
for several rapturous    
timeless moments    
then took me    
down    
into the    
disoriented    
further confusional depths    
of your swirling    
tumultuous    
under watery world  
below  
my usual plane  
of breaths  
much easier  
breathing and living  
where you    
held me underwater    
down at    
the very bottom    
of your explosive    
thunderous    
pool    
and wouldnt    
let me back up    
for air    
until almost    
completely  
out of breath    
with final blackness    
closing quickly in    
around me    
but then    
to my gaspingly    
panicked    
near breathless    
last moments    
relief    
alas    
you finally did    
now here    
i am    
safe    
once again    
back on dry land    
although    
still yet feeling  
a little  
somewhat wet  
completely rattled    
and reeling  
but at least    
im still breathing    
and still    
alive    
where now    
ive come    
to further realize    
something more    
beyond    
my initial    
love struck  
blind delight    
and your    
rather sobering    
powerfully demonstrative    
more deeply    
immersive    
aquatic affections    
for now    
i understand    
that    
even though    
i know  
in my heart    
i can and will    
completely forgive you    
for your    
hopefully unintentional    
submersibly    
traumatic
near fatal  
baptismal betrayal    
despite    
the likely  
further  
consequential fact    
i also know    
that by my simply    
saying so    
here    
i put myself    
at even    
greater risk    
of being called    
and thought of    
by others    
as some hopeless    
king of fools    
just because    
you very nearly    
almost    
killed me    
but irregardless  
of and beyond  
all that    
the other    
more personal  
significant fact    
which foolishly    
indeed    
still yet remains    
in tact    
within me    
is that    
i still    
cant help    
but love you    
only now    
from a much    
much safer distance    
than before    
but the only    
thing    
within that love    
i can promise    
and guarantee    
you now    
is that    
i ll never again    
let    
nor allow myself    
to so weakly    
nor foolishly fall    
neither for    
nor with you    
ever again    
but then again    
because i know    
i can    
still be  
and am    
so weak  
and foolish    
at times    
i can easily    
imagine  
as well  
i still might    
struggle    
with my foolish    
weakness    
whenever    
in your presence    
in the future    
but at least    
i can still    
find and take    
some fair bit    
of comfort    
and inner solace    
in my now    
more experientially    
wisened    
newly broadened    
innermost    
knowing    
that whenever    
i find myself    
caught off guard    
slipping back    
off into    
such sudden    
unexpected moments    
of slippery    
foolish weakness    
whenever    
i might next    
find myself    
near or in    
your presence    
again    
that i can    
always    
either right from    
the very start    
or even    
as a last resort    
perhaps    
now simply    
just    
pretend    
if for nothing    
else    
or any other    
reason    
than    
to help assure    
and better    
guarantee    
my own ongoing  
yet still  
always  
just as uncertain    
continued    
life    
journeys    
survival  
by simply  
loving  
and falling for  
and  
with you  
now  
only from  
afar