Don’t Drown

He told me how the waves felt out there,

like sliding down the road on a patch of ice,

screaming for traction,

and swallowing a gallon of water instead.

These were the years he’d survived,

years of betrayal, heartbreak, hunger, loss,

thrashing in the ocean

tethered to a surfboard,

fighting to resurface

before having any hope to breathe again.

He knew everything I wanted,

for he wanted them too,

but we were swimming against the current

and only he understood

the devastation that could drag us under

if we didn’t heed the water’s fury

and wait until we stood on two feet again

before trying to walk. 

It’s been awhile but I’m trying to write again.