Accustomed to drowning I don't remember how to breathe
For a while I've been waiting... waiting for rescue
I see them at the shore
Dancing, smiling, laughing
Can they not see my struggle?
Can they not see my need to exhale?
"Release yourself" they say
"Swim to shore and join us in our joy"

"Maybe they are right"
"Surely I can save myself" I think
With every stroke I take, I look back
And see the island I once called home
Pain and nostalgia grip me
The grip tightens as I approach the joyful
Overwhelmed, I stop... and start to sink
Perhaps I was destined to live in the salt that stings my wounds


Perhaps I was destined to never exhale.