My breath quickens
to nothing.
Gears grind and shift,
music pounds,
friends call,
laughter rings.

Bright lights flicker
with glimpses of people
chasing release.
What does it mean
to escape?

I imagine myself
eyes closed,
sinking deeper.

Relief in underwater calm,
all-consuming pressure
wrapping me close,
a quiet embrace.

Fluid and slow,
I move.
The world above,
a muffled dream.
Overwhelming sounds
fade beneath the waves.

To breathe
with no air.
To float
and finally
let go.