Writer’s Block

Courtesy of Megan Aufrecht

She swims
in an ink-black sea;
her arms flailing,
groping for her surroundings.
Her heavy body
sinks deeper
and deeper,
as if she’s falling
into an endless abyss of misery.

She screams,
but no one answers.
She tries to think,
but too much is happening
all at once.
She’s lost,
misguided,
helpless.

Suddenly,
she finally grabs hold
of a jagged rock,
begins to pull herself
towards the surface.

Light…
She closes in on that spot:
Violet, then navy, then sky blue, then white.
Climbing,
struggling,
she pushes herself up.
Up, up, up,
driven by her inspiration,
the will to succeed.

Splash!
Her head breaks the water’s surface.
Air rushes through her mouth,
filling, reviving her lungs.
Her skin soaked,
emerging into freedom
from the dark nothingness
that held her
captive.

Now she can breathe.
She can live.
Now she can share her thoughts
and tell her story.