Lessons Learnt When You Fear Drowning
Head shoved under water
Yellow mud floating up
To enter my nose in a layer
Barely breathing through the cup
And tube of green plastic between
My clenched lips and teeth,
All around me only the sea,
And this boy, a wiry stranger
Cupping my arm, confident
A five-foot merman, index finger
Pointing downwards and ahead
Insistent, legs bending and straightening
Repeatedly, till I tamp the panic
Down to my stomach, remembering
To breathe evenly, I look.
I gasp silently at the wondrous earth
He was opening out to me
Salt water rushed into my mouth
I swallow, enthralled by the life
Invisible from above.
Lost for centuries in the earth’s belly
Unaware of anything but
what my eyes could see
my only contact with humanity
was that hand that held and guided me.
I rose up slowly to gaze around
The boat was far, far away
Utter silence, no sound
Under the waves, Neptune held sway.
Raising my head, craning my neck
Arm held by an impersonal hand
In minutes, I was guided back.
Reluctant to leave the ocean warm
I climbed up the ladder
To my family dear and familiar
My body felt weighted and clumsy
Not my own, smiling politely
I thanked the team for showing me
Another world under the sea.
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