Drowning

I’m drowning.

I open my eyes and they hurt, I

Close them again and push

Against the fluid around me trying

To propel my way out and

Break the surface.

I’m lost.

I try to wade through it but

My arms are weak, for a brief

Moment I wonder if I’m dreaming

Perhaps if I give in, I will wake

Up and it will be over.

I’m wide awake.

I stop fighting, letting myself

Drop and I can feel it pulling

Me in deeper. Confused, I

Tentatively open my mouth,

It is acidic, burning, brutal.

I’m panicking.

I move as fast as I can

Yet my actions are sluggish

The viscous slime around me

Mocking me as it traps me, yet

Holding me almost endearingly.

I’ve surrendered.

The lava around me knows

That I have accepted defeat, and

Even as it possessively envelops

Me, I sense no maliciousness,

So I trust it, and breathe.