I am a lotus lily
treading water in teacups of mercury
I live amidst the ripples
in the waves that swell and crumple
into folds of thought and fear
I float-blissful-atop the crests
for the highs are high
but the lows are chasms
and before crumbling
the whitecaps spit toxic tears
that dribble down my petals
I try to keep cleaning
keep healing
lulled into a loop of survival
because my storms will only flatline when I’m dead.