oceanus

my hands reach up to grab
someone's hand, and in my mind,
they pull me up, but i can still feel
myself sinking.

lungs aching, my eyes burn
as i stare up at the surface of the water,
dancing figures blurring together
as my vision blots out.

i have not breathed in months.
i have not breathed in years.

i can hear sounds echoing
across the ocean, seasick voices
begging to go back home as
the current carries me further down.

fingers digging into soft sand,
i pull myself across the ocean floor,
my heartbeat losing itself as the
ringing in my ears overtakes my fragile mind.

let me live, i will whisper to the
softspoken fish who find my floating body.
let me live, i will shout to the sharks
as i run my hands across their smooth skin.

no, answer the oceans.
no, answer the seas.
no, answers my love.

it is the cycle of life,
my darling, but i will still try
to find a way out of leaving myself
to the darkness.

i am a ship who has lost
her anchor, but i still refuse
to sink.