Water muffles raucous laughter
As your stocky frame plows
Further under the cold and choppy
Surface of the lake.
The headlong dive you took
Surprised your crowd
But did not clear the murky
Muck of festivities left over
From the hour before.
Swim
Until your arms begin to tire,
Your lungs screech like manhandled balloons,
And the troubles left
Shore-side stay out of reach.
Your sharp intake of life
Carries with it astonished
Exclamations at your emergence
So far from the safety
Of the friendly shore.
Scream
Bursting through the lake’s ceiling
With one last attempt at salvation
Spurred by the searing terror of frigid water
Ripping across half-filled lungs.
Three times attempted
And equally failed
To liberate your drunken frame
From the lake’s welcoming embrace.
