I never knew
How to be in your world
With all of its noise
The chaos, the toys
All in a corner, banging their heads
Most slowly dying but not quite dead
I gave it a go
A handful of times
But I never colored
Inside the lines
My free flowing spirit
Set you on edge
And I spent our time
Talking you off the ledge
So I gave up and left
And wished you farewell
There were others who fit
In your view of the world
A whole host of others
Who follow the rules
Who question what’s new
Who don’t suffer fools
But then, yesterday, the tiniest crack
Appeared in the scaffolding under your mat
The floor you require to stand on your feet
Showing confidence you can’t be beat
I wondered if you knew your whole alibi
Is built on a house built on stilts built on lies
I guard your house sometimes when you’re not around
Scared that the stilts might all come crashing down
I’m not really sure why I do it
It’s not good for you
To live in the clouds
Away from the truth
But you’re so very sure of your whole pack of lies
And I think, does it really matter this time?
And maybe it doesn’t, but I worry too
What would happen if it all crashed down on you
When you least expect it, when you’re fast asleep
What would you do if you crashed in the deep?
There are no lines down here to color inside
No rules to demand that the unworthy die
All that’s here deep underwater, you see
Are others like you and others like me
We choose every day to connect or let go
We choose every day to sink, swim, or float
You think it’s pointless, this life that we live
A life that’s worth living means you win again
But we measure time by the moments we spend
Connected together, regardless of end
(c) 2025, “Deep Underwater,” Tiffany Aurora