You’re both beneath the surface,
neither knows which way is up.
Eyes locked through the blur,
but neither strong enough to pull the other up.
You stretch out.
Not to rescue, but to whisper “I’m still here.”
Your fingertips touch, then slip away like tides.
Words don’t work down here.
They scatter like fish, slipping away before they touch the other’s skin.
You open your mouth to speak,
but all that leaves is silence.
Panic comes in waves.
You see it in their eyes.
You feel it in your chest.
They kick toward the surface.
You try to follow
but you’re both too tired.
Love? Still there.
Hope? Fading.
Connection? Drifting.
You scream without sound.
They scream too -
two people making noise neither one can hear.
Two hearts,
too heavy to hold each other,
too deep to breathe
but still reaching,
even as the current pulls you apart.
Above you, a life waits -
dry, warm, steady.
You both reach for it in your minds,
clutching at the image of laughter without weight,
touch without sinking,
love… without the water in between.