Standing at the ocean of my mind

My fears like the waves lap at my toes

At the edge of my thoughts

Aggressive crashes and angry foam

Threaten to drag me under

I stand still

 

The sand turns to mud

Between my toes -- I can feel each granule

Each tiny fear, everything I’ve ever shared

Each thought I’ve ever had

I stand and feel their textures

 

My ankles are submerged in wet and salty water

The angry teeth of broken shells tear

Across my skin, and the scratches are bleeding

The clear water turns pink

Like my tongue

 

It doesn’t speak to me

The ocean has no words to give

It carries no telepathy

It’s an emotional sea

Roiling like a god’s storm

Boiling under the burning eyes

 

I stay at the shore

And watch

And feel

And listen

To the waves crashing at my feet

I know they will not pull me under

And even if they do

I will swim.