The Swim

It’s the same dream over and over.

I’m wading against the current--I fell off a ship, I think--

There’s no land in sight but there’s the horizon

And I’m swimming away from the rising

Sun as if racing it to the other side

For the sake of my life. I’m

An awful swimmer and the current’s strong

But I know other human beings have made

This swim, though comparatively few, and I know

I can move my limbs forward

Because I am the same species as them.

 

Dim shapes dart beneath my toes

And the depths of the ocean threaten

With a cold, anonymous embrace.

 

The current gets greater the closer I get

To this certain dot. It’s either

A ship or an island

But I’ve got the dream-surety

That if I can just get there

I’ll be among those other people,

Those comparatively few,

Who made the swim.

 

I’m not a great swimmer.

There’s a fire in my gut, however,

And a light in my head.

And I want to get there just as bad

As any of those people who made it,

As any of those people who were made for it.

 

The current gets thicker.

 

But I’m not made to beat this, this barrier, this ceiling.

The captain in my head is soon taken captive by despair--

Not mutiny, but destiny, pitiless destiny.

 

I’d not have any other way,

I think as I sink.

I’ll not take reality’s pity.

Give me its heartless objectivity,

So that when, in another dream,

I somehow make it to that island or ship,

I’ll know I belong there,

I’ll know I beat the odds and made myself

For the swim.

Reviews

[.]

:: yes, absolutely... the bigger the dream, the bigger the nightmare that it might not come true... :: you know, i have trouble learning how to swim from an accomplished swimmer... but whenever i read your work, i'm humbled into acknowledging your ability to swim brilliantly... :: this sea of your words before me is earnest beyond measure... and the detailing of the image is exceptional... but most of all... it's the intensity of your aspiration that is infinitely inspiring... write on, super artist curio arca... for there's no doubt about your brilliance... not in my mind at least... it may not be the best of the best... but... you know... it has potential... :P

[Kurayami]

This is a very descriptive poem and it contains emotions that can make the audience feel like they are experiencing the poem instead of just reading it. Good job!

~Kurayami