Life Preserver

Escaping the depths of the murky lake, leg-kicking upward in frantic haste, arms grasp for purchase in what surely will be my watery grave. Head breaks the surface, lungs gulp for precious air, burning, aching subsides, drown-panic-dying moment passes. Another failed attempt by me to prove I am not aqua phobic. So reminiscent of our years together as I flail in the waters of regret for sticking with you for better or worse – mostly worse, suffocating from my fear of you. You stand on the shore of Lake Verbal Abuse while I flounder in the depths of inadequacy, never doing enough to please you. I don my mental life vest, swimming away from your cruel intentions. Embracing the water’s cool surface, its buoyancy, its life-giving waves, I float my way to freedom — if only in my mind.