Home » Poems » Riley Ryleigh » Floating in a Buoy

Floating in a Buoy

I should be going somewhere,
I should be doing something,
And be living a meaningful life
but I'm not, instead I'm just
Floating, floating, floating in a buoy;

Here is where I am
drifting nowhere near to anywhere
and I'm distant, close to nothing
distant and drifting
Floating, floating, floating in a buoy;

I don't know why I'm content
with choosing less than the best
for myself, not wanting more
not wanting more than
Floating, floating, floating in a buoy;

I won't be hot if I stay cold
I won't be close if I stay away
I'll never fall deep in love if I
if I stay shallow; and keep on
Floating, floating, floating in a buoy;

Overtime my buoy will run out of air
and I'll sink with my deflated buoy,
Will I drown or have the strength to swim
all the way back to the shore,
And then get a boat and use its sail and oars
since I've wasted enough time
Floating, floating, floating in a buoy.

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Danny Derden

Date: 7/12/2025 6:46:00 PM

Your poem resonates with introspection and quiet emotional depth. The repetition amplifies the sense of inertia and longing beautifully—honest, lyrical, and full of tender self-awareness. Keep sharing your voice. But I was wondering...should I remove the U's when I read it???

Riley Ryleigh
Date: 7/19/2025 12:13:00 PM

No wordplay, but you did correctly understand the meaning of part 4. By the way, the type of buoy in this case is a floaty pool ring.

Danny Derden
Date: 7/14/2025 3:04:00 PM

No, I get the pronunciation difference...it's just that it seemed to perhaps be a bit of word play...buoy in place of boy was the image that sprung into my mind as I first read your poem. A relationship that is comfortable more or less but not really going anywhere.

Riley Ryleigh
Date: 7/14/2025 12:53:00 PM

Do you mean in the word "buoy", how to pronounce it?