Ever so occasionally,
Now and then, just like you,
I’ll feel a need
To wave a hand high in the air.
Not the frantic wave of a shipwrecked soul,
Nor quite the desperate, final plea to God
“Do you see me? My Lord…I am sinking!”

Instead, much more.
Still a cry nonetheless,
But infinitely louder. Stronger.
Shrill but determined.
Defying the black, chilling, watery depths
In spite of what lurks below.
Demanding,
“Do you see me? I am still here!
Give me strength, let me stay afloat.
For today is not the end of my story.”

© 2025 Juliette Proffitt
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
THE ABOVE POEM WAS WRITTEN BY AND REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE AUTHOR GRANTS PERMISSION TO SHARE UNALTERED POSTS ONLY WHEN EXPLICITLY CREDITING THEM. NO OTHER REPRODUCTIONS ARE GRANTED WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION.