When I lived near the Atlantic
my friend Terry visited
the Pacific

and when she returned
gave me a smooth black
oval stone like lava

because she wanted
me to know there is another
ocean in fact there are five

in fact I lived in Hawaii on
Oahu for three years as a child
and swam in the Pacific

hundreds of times in one
photo a huge wave is coming
toward me poised to jump on

ride it to shore in my flowered
bikini ruffled at the hip I think
what Terry meant was that I had

forgotten that there is another
ocean another world
unbounded that I had forgotten

how to jump on
ride to shore holding
my breath in case I went under.