The Deep End (Part 1) Poem by Jef L33

She stares into the depths
Pushed by the fear of failing
She falls towards the water
Weighed down from everyone's expectations

She hits the water hard
And sinks under the pressure
For the first time in her life
Her feet can't touch the bottom

All her life she's been told what to do
where to go, how to act, what to say
believing that as long as she does what she's told
she will succeed, and that she will someday be free

For the first time in her life
She doesn't hear their voices
Doesn't feel their gazes
And finds herself…alone

She feels herself begin to sink
The cold-water bites into her flesh
She struggles to keep her head above water
Grasping for air

Her legs and arms begin to ache
Burning inside the icy waters
She feels that her whole life has been worthless
And just wants to give up