She sits by the water and thinks of her daughters
Jesus and John in the water you see
keeping a date with destiny
Touching her knees, she wades out to sea
Water still colder than soon it will be
Ocean giant baptismal font
Ominous, macabre haunt
John baptizes Holy Master
Her heart beats faster
Ocean stirs, nerves go taut
she stands up, water gets hot
Knee deep in water, she thinks of her daughters
Dove descends on Jesus and John
Ritual ends as Diane wades on
Waist deep in water, she thinks of her daughters
Holy men wade back to shore,
Jesus does just one thing more
Touching her, Jesus says
“Soon you’ll be gone, but that’s okay”
Swift undertow suddenly sweeps
Diane out that day
Daughters she loved, words cannot say
She wanted one more day.
Drowning in water, she thinks of her daughters
Poem based on the last entry in Diane’s Journal, dated February 4, 2004. The entry describes Diane sitting at the water’s edge, watching John baptize Jesus. When Jesus comes out of the water he pats her on the head. Diane drowned February 29, 2004.