Bliss

She runs
her fingers through
the lake,
trailing little waves
behind her.

She removes,
all her clothes,
save her underwear,
and

She jumps,
into the water,
holding her nose
and squeezing her eyes.

She holds,
her breath in,
until

She breathes
it all out, and opens her eyes,
sees bubbles before her

She counts--
1, 2, 3,
9, 10, 11,
so many bubbles,

She returns,
finally,
to the surface,

She smiles,
only nine,
with a missing tooth.

She is,
Innocence.

(c) October 2011