I draw the Line in Sand.

My toes are brushing borders.

I feel compelled to forward step,

And yet I cannot cross;

The Line is as a barricade.

The Tide is creeping in

(it screams, it screams at me)

The Line is washed away

(i cannot hear it, cannot see)

It is gone.

And so I draw the Line in Sand.

This time further forward,

Always further forward,

Slow and steady,

Ever forward,

To the End I dread,

But cannot yet escape.

and then sometimes the waves come crashing in and

there is no Line – there is no Sand

and the swirling water engulfs my swirling self and steals the breath from my lungs

and irrational clarity pierces my hummingbird heart with icy claws

and in my desperation –

I draw the Line on Me

A Life Line

To keep myself from crossing.