I'll tell anyone, I prefer being
Underwater, and that is as
True a statement as any

Let's put it this way:
I appreciate the reality
Of an environment where
Time is centripetal and gravity
Is cheap and thoughts are free and
Clear
          
           See, I was the kid always winning the
Underwater breath-holding competitions
Back in a time when that was a thing
And I was rather good at it and
It made me feel special

But the adults

They would insist
I move an arm or a leg
More for their sake than mine
Of course, refusing to care that
Playing dead was my key to success

There's restorative power in the stillness

But they wanted no part of it, no
To them, it was akin to death
And death meant trouble
And so I'd appease
Their silly fears
And twitch
An arm
Or leg
Just
So
But
All the
While I'd
Remain in
The zone, so
Focused on not
Requiring oxygen
From the air that I'd
Fail to hear them calling
My name, growing concerned
So much louder now, angry now--

Oh, that's what that was

And so it was
Back to the surface
Back to all the judging
Faces, dampening my mood
Detracting from a win earned
Fair and square, and back
To pretending that being
Normal was anything
I'd ever aspire to be