She thought she knew how to swim

Until she started drowning in thoughts of him

She somehow manages to gasp for air,

But he fills her lungs to the brim

She used to be afraid of diving deeper,

Of seeing too much of herself

But she stole glances of her heart

Through the reflection

In his eyes

Though he was a keeper

He could not keep her

She lay wide awake at night,

Wading through the

Ripples of abstract thoughts,

No longer a deep sleeper

To take the plunge, she learned,

Meant to immerse herself in a pool

Of ecstasy and pain

To walk in the rain knowing she’ll get drenched

To receive a love

She had not earned

Soon, she will have to harden.

She will have to learn once again

How to follow the tides of her heart,

To navigate her emotional storm

And to keep herself afloat

So as not to be a burden

But she worries.

Perhaps for him

She will always swallow water.