Ocean Words

That ocean 

That we swim in 

That we fight 

That fills our lungs 

And sinks us 

If we dare it, 

If we challenge it

Without strength,

I have met it

I know it well 

I have struggled 

In its waves 

In its dark currents

I have battled 

And been battered

I have tasted 

Its bitter salts

I have seen its 

Darkest depths 

I have known

That moment 

That painful moment 

When you surface 

Just enough

To taste the air 

Only to be

swiftly pushed back beneath

Into the empty... 

I have known 

Those moments 

When I barely kept

My head

above the water

And it was 

Never good enough 

This ocean tempts us

Taunts us

Teaches us 

And I

In my moments 

In its darkest waters have finally

broken its surface

And learned

The right way 

To swim