I can't breathe.
Starved for oxygen
Hurling myself this way and that
Completely out of my element

Flip. No good.
In fact, the effort probably put me
Further from where I wanted to go
I wasn't designed for this

Flop. Still nothing.
I think I may be a bit closer
But the water is still out of reach
How much do I have left?

Perhaps less is more.
Frantic flip-flopping has accomplished nothing
Calm down and inch, bit by bit
Toward water, and oxygen, and life.