This was originally published in a book of underwater poetry,
called "Voices of The Deep" Attribution should credit that book.
NIGHT DIVE (from the Book “Voices of the Deep”
No fiend could ever quite contrive
A more fearful trip than a nighttime dive
When nocturnal eyes come peering out
And frightful shadows dart all about.
My fevered brain needs no stimuli
From morays, sharks and octopi
What I can't see, my mind invents
Which keeps me in a cold suspense.
Beyond the beam of my feeble light
Lurk a thousand terrors of the night.
My buddy just signaled a need for help!
I think she brushed against some kelp.
My flipper's caught! What can it be?
A moment's panic, and then I’m free.
The bravado I had up on the deck
Has left me now and I'm a wreck.
Great clouds of bubbles mark my spot,
My pulse is high, I pray a lot.
I check my gauge--air nearly gone.
You'd think I ran a marathon.
At last we surface and doff our gear.
Non-divers gather, our tales to hear.
"Wha'ja see? How deep d'ja go?
A thousand things they want to know.
My buddy and I exchange a glance
And suddenly find some nonchalance.
"To dive at night, as a general rule,
You must be calm, serene, and cool."
"Conserve your air, don't thrash about.
You'd really like it; we have no doubt."
Condemn if you will, our hypocrisy
But we're part of a night dive conspiracy.
Glenn Wasson
1988
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