a crystal blue void

encompasses my

awareness

billowing clouds of sparkling bubbles

rush by as I descend

sound is muted

dreamlike

clarity is lost

curious fish dart in and out

playing in silent schools

oblivious to time's remorseless march

blurred shades of green and brown

above and around

an ochre and tan sandy expanse

beneath

dotted with wavering isles of sunlit promise

irridescently ghost-like

beneath the surface

the current shifts and I spread my arms wide

encompassing eternity

my eyes seek out the Light

straining to see beyond the distant haze

surface memories echo

life and pain 

heartache and despair

shrouded by oceanic memories of

missed chances and wasted time

of love lost and 

hope broken by

setbacks and betrayal

loss

sorrow and weariness combine

in the depths

combating energy and innovation

cultivating self-pity

motivating melancholy

memories of moments lost

slivers of seaweed slither

sliding across skin

scenes of ephemeral delight

shimmering softly

soon passed

sadly so  

heartrending and visceral

breath bursts forth from my chest

released

constrained no more

descent continues

starbursts expand as darkness beckons

and I rise again still seeking the Light

that lies beyond the looming night

on the other side of life

beyond all human

sight