The Plunge

Still a WIP as I'm not sure I quite like it yet. Inspired by an overwhelming desire to connect with someone and iron out the wrinkles.

When I close my eyes
I'm standing at the edge of a swimming pool
The body of water glistens
Undisturbed,
No touch of ripples on the surface,
My hands clasped in yours
Round eyes filling with wild ecstatic joy,
Hell yes, even if you don't want to,
We are going to take the plunge because
I must see you eye-to-eye,
One moment, one instant in which
We are parallel in our desire
To breathe, the pressure
Pulling us underneath,
Surrounding,
Holding, reaching,
Grasping, we need clothes, hair, flesh, anything
In this single, straining moment
Mortality and the fear of it are more apparent
Than all our petty differences
We reach the surface or we die,
Under heavy silence, my heartbeat
Is the soundtrack of being
Soaked in your frightened eyes,
Overwhelmed when our worlds collide
Cannonball crash of our bodies
Thrown against the surface
Smacked by all of who and what and why you are
Yourself,
An assault without a perpetrator
Just victims,
Touching base, vision clearing
Feet kicking the ground, we rise
Water drips down your jaw, off your chin
Black shirt clings to skin
And the air burns like fire, and my chest aches
Lungs screaming in protest against
My foolish behavior---
Perhaps it's my heart, for I realize we are
Destined to be torn apart,
Habitually hurting ourselves,
Whenever we choose to brave the chill pain
Of our resurface.