Poem by Scott Aranha

Dive

You dive in,

The letters float on the page like bubbles to the surface.

Time is scarce as you quickly run out of air to breathe.

As you proceed deeper into your adventure, the pressure rises,

Thoughts begin to change, and the world around you goes silent.

You still spew bubbles to the surface, but they flow less slowly now

And there is less around you, less beauty to inspire your craving mind.

The hardest part is the ascent; summing up the experience,

Slowly you must rise from the depths, sit at 20 feet, let the nitrogen escape your blood;

You must sit there and wait for the end to come,

For if you fail to do so, the piece is ruined,

Your mind damaged by the accumulated gases,

The writing gone.