On drowning…

The waves wash over me.

The water warm.

The swell gentle. 

The shore golden.

The setting sun warm on my back.

But like the serpent in Eden,

The undertow 

Wraps its sinuous coils around my feet.

Dragging me deeper.

One step at a time. 

Further and further from the shore. 

Within my sight.

But no longer within my grasp.

And the ocean gets bigger.

It fills. 

It grows.

It comes to life. 

And it pulls me in.

A mortal being.

Hungry.

Ravenous.

Wanting more of me.

Seeking me.

The serpent coils tighter. 

It lifts my feet.

The sand slips away from my soles. 

And suddenly I float.

But it’s not the lightness of air I feel around me.

But the heaviness of the ocean.

Its size. 

It’s power. 

It’s immensity.

I try to ride the wave towards the shore. 

But every wave is a tease.

It takes me a step forward.

But the serpent pulls me back.

Two steps.

Three.

And my feet flounder. 

My arms flay.

And the ocean rises. 

And I am lost. 

Overwhelmed.

Adrift.

Unmoored.

Fear. And fight.

Or surrender. 

And in that choice,

In that moment,

Lies eternity.