a fraction of her finger feels
the clean circumference
of the lake.
unfolding she dares her feet
to take a step
into the brim of the basin.
her pale flesh
is slowly overtaken
by the fluid form
of charcoal.

the majestic movement of the water
makes music on her
pointy knees.
against her ribs.
over her shoulders.
and into her mind.
A spell is cast…

Down.
Darker.
Down.

The thickness presses in
And resonates within.
A hazy muteness tempts
A disappearance…

Down .
Darker.
Down.

All dilemmas drowned out.
She cannot resist
This dark ethereal world.
Of surreal serenity.
Of solitary security…

Down .
Darker.
Down.

Completely lost.
Suspended in a trance…

Down.

Yet a faint sound sails through
To the drum of her ear
as a dim recollection of a songbird
sends her thoughts
to the sky…

Down.

Pockets of air race
Past her face.
As life from her lungs
Escapes…

Drown.

As if awoken
From an enchanting death.
From a spell of sleep:

She rises.
Higher .
She rises.

Breathless.
Eyes transfixed upon the stars
Seen beyond the glossy coverlet.
Fingertips unfurling
To feel the air…

She rises.
Higher.
She rises.

Her fists fight the film
And desperately fix fast
to the moon…

Higher.

A desperate melodic force
An orchestrated symphony of sound
Builds to a grand finale…

Higher.

She shoots through the surface
In the last still seconds
Escaping Death’s domain…

Higher.

A glorious note of life
Fills her lungs.
Her mind.
Her heart…

She rises.

(And a songbird sings.)