Don't Drink The Water Poem by Thomas King

Ascending from the depths
Of my personal sea of sorrow

I feel the pressure in my body easing
As I get nearer to the surface,
The abyss no longer a blinding darkness

My lungs struggle to hold in the screams
That will surely deplete the last breath of life
Left within my ravaged body

How close I came to succumbing to the wet blackness
How easy to just slip into the depths
And let the weight of my regrets
Carry me straight to the bottom

Ready to trade my last breath
For a cold refreshing drink of death

As I slowly rise towards salvation
I fight to stay calm as my heart pounds
And my mind races,
Fighting the urge to flail frantically
Towards the surface

Where I can feel the suns forgiving rays
As it dries my waterlogged soul
And warms my chilled heart

Where I can exhale the stale and dead breath within me
And inhale the sweet freshness of a new life
And breathe the refreshing air of redemption.