Under Control of the Flood

By Reese Walker

Posted on June 1, 2023

Cover Image Title: Golden Hours

Cover Image by: Natcha Kunkongkaphan

Classification: Photography

Specifications: Resized from 3,024 x 4,032

Year: 2023

The cold sensation tickles my body / no one can reach me here, / a moment of peace / and nothing to do but swim. / My clothes, my armor transparent in the river / all my flaws visible, / the weight of despair pulls me down once again. / The seafloor, out of my reach / the cliff edge above me, / out of my grasp. / If only I could keep myself afloat / in this constant stream of thoughts. / The fish swim against the current that's drowning me. / I can’t breathe. / I can't breathe. / I can't breathe. / Every second wasted on staying alive, / so much that I could not see the beauty surrounding me. / The tree leaves are woven in the wind / swirling of green spiraling / the grass dances, / sun rays burst through the clouds / a spotlight shining on me / for the angels above / to observe me. / My throat begs for air / instead water fills my lungs. / The sky is a flood over my head / the dry land out of reach / there is no going up, / I only have farther to sink. / My eyelids close / a last breath escapes my lips / a fire burns in my heart, / it beats one last time. / Is it over? / Death grabs me / my body is pulled above the surface / oxygen surges through me / life refills my veins. / Hands hold me steady, / the world sways beneath my planted feet. / I was dead. / I was dead. / I was dead. / All I ever needed was to be saved, / but do I deserve a second chance / even if / it was all I ever wanted? / The wind screams / urging me to dive back into the river / the temptation itches through my body. / Eyes stare into mine / my muscles freeze, / yet the summer air blows by. / I breathe regret. / in and out / in and out / in and out. / Why? / Why save someone who was dead long before / they jumped? / I thought no one could reach me. / I thought I would be saved from reality / not from the water. / My thoughts are dragged back to the shore. / I wring the water out of my clothes, / I am emptied. / If it was not me who died in the river / then a part of me did. /

Descriptions:

The flood is the thoughts, the mind which one can never escape. Water is a necessity, we need our lives, but when it gets too hard to overcome challenge, after challenge, we all wonder if we can be saved. Does the art of living balance the darkness of it? If the sliver of hope, of the love we hold for others, the only reason we live day to day and night to might? What life are we living for?

[ * The End * ]

[Writing Editor: Paul Shannon]