Drowning by Grace Asch
As kids we went to the pool. We played games. We saw how long we could hold our breath. Trying to swim further underwater than our friends, because it was fun. A tranquil struggle. The kids counted the seconds until they had to resurface and save their own life. And it was nothing but laughs. But I never seemed to be able to hold my breath for all that long. Could never swim the length of the pool without gasping for breath every few strokes. And maybe that is why I was drowning so quickly. Because while the children were counting the seconds I was counting months. Waiting for the rope tying me to the bottom of the pool to grow old and break. Tearing the bond between me and the life I never wanted. And I didn’t want to hold my breath anymore. I would willingly lose to the game of holding my breath, but I won every time. And I am still underwater praying for a gasp of breath. I am losing all hope and I am getting deeper. The rope is still as strong as the first day. But things have changed. The challengers have decided to stop challenging. Because it is known I will always win at this game. This fight. Because as they were trying to stay underwater, I was trying so hard to resurface. As I watch the kids it becomes clear they are blinded by all the happiness. Not seeing that they are driving down a road to nowhere. They are so innocent, but the children will not always be alright. I truly wish to go back to those days. When I wanted to be underwater. But now the water is killing me. The world has become a mystery. I can no longer breathe. And I’m worried that’s how I’d like it to be.
Masked by Lily Morton
So she wasted away her hours, counting minutes on her hands
And she walked through feathered daydreams, looking for a gated door
She imagined everything just the way that it should be
And everything was easy, not a single care or worry
She opened the curtains and let in the light
Soft ambience, masked-lipstained temptress, walking alone in a daydream creation
But she opened her eyes and a voice called her name
And she looked in the mirror and saw there a nightmare
So she closed them again and tried to go back,
But the damage was done, dreamworld corrupted
Paint-shades washed away in reality’s rain
And she learned how to dance in electrical storms
But never, never in all her daydreams
Did she learn how to dance in this kind of rain
Sleek silky slime that wouldn’t wash off
It was grey and colorless, bleached in comparison
To the colorful world of her daydreams of life
So she put on her mask and she lined her eyes heavy
And she walked off into the night.
The Walk Through a Black Wood by Dylan Garcia
The walk through a black wood.
The path of darkness and no good.
A struggle of help and confidence.
That never seems to make sense.
The wood was cold like a blizzard on a winter day.
The leaves were black and sky turned grey.
Unfortunately this path is the only one to travel.
The ground was hard and painful like gravel.
But it’s a road we all have to follow.
And the fog was so thick it was hard to swallow.
Walking through a black wood.
Having to endure what no one should.
Shadows creep in and out.
Wondering if it’s my sight or mind that has doubt.
Making me want to shout.
But it would alert the creatures that go about.
Destroying what was left in my safe seeming kind.
As my mind begins to bind.
Breaking down piece by piece wondering if I could ever leave this place.
But the black figures keep bringing down my pace.
Ending in mass destruction.
Refusing my mind to function.
How do you make it through this dark wood.
I can’t believe that anyone could.
The end is near.
And I’m in total fear.
As I break away from the sane world I used to know.
Being trapped in this black wood.
A place I thought I’d never go.