Going Under

Stretching muscles to stay up
Water splashes and rises to meet me
Ground beneath sinks
Feet slip from their hold

I plunge under the cold
Rigid from the temperature
Water seeps in everywhere
Oxygen far, far away

Cries suppressed by the sound
Echoing ripples suck me down
See, breathe the blinding cool
Nerves tingle and numb

Floating like antigravity
Drowning deep in the vast space
Heart pausing to suffocate
Falling farther than I can reach

Fingers scrape on the last hope
Dropped below all notice and rescue
Cradling in the emptiness
The alone imprisons my soul

The pressure grabs and wrestles
Rips open the safe hold to swallow
Gulps any lingering survival
Spits me back out to drop deeper

Mind closing to keep the last thought dry
While lungs embrace the sea around
And drags me down, down, down
Until I've gone completely under

---

This poem was partly inspired by Parachute's "Something to Believe In." I happen to -love- that song and when I heard the line "Keep my head from going down..." this was born. lol Anyway, its just about drowning in pain, suffering and loneliness. Kind of a downer.

But enjoy!

-uw.b