socrates returned
to visit diotima
and found her sitting
on a beach
facing the water
he knew right away
that this was metaxy
the place she resided
the realm of in between
She looked up and saw him
and beckoned him
to join her
where she had
spread a blanket
and laid out a feast
so he climbed down a ladder
from the cliffs to the sand
and as he got closer
he saw sea creatures
laid out in rows
like an abacus
retrieved from
the ocean floor
she had named each creature
after one of the gods
and together
they ate them all
as they watched the sun
heavy with the
day\'s memories
slipping ever so slowly
into the billowing waves
of the voracious sea
and when
the sun was gone
the sea became eternal
but they were still mortal
alone on the beach
yet they laughed
and reminisced
as the night thickened
around them
and slowly they recounted
the old lessons of love
then she got to her feet
and folded the blanket
and they walked
toward the cliffs
where he kissed her
and promised
he would always return
and with the
immortals inside him
he made his way inland
through the realm of forms
toward the rising sun
by Howard Gipstein
Copyright © 2022 by Howard Gipstein