In the Deep

The turquoise water is murky when we jump
off the boat to find the whale sharks in the deep,
but I have one goal when I hit the ocean:
to get to the spotter as quickly as I can
so I can see the whale shark a longer time.

This time, I cannot stay astride of the fish
for long, because my tired legs can't make
up the distance when it turned away from me,
still swimming easily but speeding out of sight.

Once I cannot see it or my fellow snorkelers
who are still managing to match the pace,
I grow hyperaware of how low visibility is
and I wonder if the whale shark was keeping
other creatures at bay, even though it eats
plankton, so I lift my head to locate the group
and use this new motivation to hurry back.

Later, someone will ask if we could see
the ocean floor while with the whale sharks
and I'll realize I never even thought to look.