A crimson river flows
as life ebbs away.
Delirious,
body wasted,
all boundaries
are fading as
they cling to hope.

Clutching the straw
between my lips
******* in the promise
of my last chance
as white figures
surround me
speaking in tongues
that shatter my world
tear open my belly
to rip out the source.

The crimson river
runs dry and
I am reborn.
Floating upstream
on ripples of pain
and confusion
I ride waves
of gratitude
and self doubt.