So close.
Almost there.
Took you a minute
to free yourself
and now,
you’re about
to finally
break the surface.
I bet you didn’t know
how sweet the air could be.
Spent so long below,
holding your breath,
sleeping with Death,
while wondering where
all the bubbles go.
Thrashing the water hard, now.
Scared that you won’t break through
the surface tension
and live
anew.
When you do,
I bed the first thing
that you’ll notice
after sucking in air,
and crying your eyes out,
is that you are not prepared
for the noise.
It’s so quiet down there.
In the depths,
the cold embrace
is lonely,
but it’s present,
and like a womb,
incessant
in its love.
Out here,
exposed
to the world
and the sky.
Oh, my God,
the sky is huge.
And the lights,
and the sounds
and the voices…
You’re free, now.
Swim to shore.
Life is waiting.
Come on home.
Once you get your legs
under you,
you’ll know
you’ve escaped for good.
HG – 2021
