Underwater

I think I might be underwater 

I can't 

hear or see 

anyone else 

under here

Everyone 

is muted 

Every 

moment is a blur

Time passes

and I move slowly 

while the days move quickly 

Nothing feels real here

My stomach is sinking

there's a pit in it

and it isn't shrinking 

I think I might be underwater 

or stuck in someone's dream

I ache 

I ache all the time 

People pass by

and I try 

to carry on

but I think I might be underwater 

or in a Tim Burton movie 

Everything is in black and white 

Nothing is real

The sky is empty 

There is no sun or moon

it's just grey up there 

Cars zip by 

and the Raven knocks on the door

Pesky little bugger 

pecks over and over 

each peck louder than the one before 

The White Rabbit 

with a pocket watch that won't stop

ticking 

A sickening feeling 

as all these worlds 

start to blend 

Buttons for eyes, my friend

I have buttons 

for eyes in this underwater 

dream in a dream 

A man plays the guitar 

in the rain

A volleyball 

rolls by

The timer chimes 

Fresh out of the oven

she’s made us bread again

and it smells 

like fresh bread smells

The timer chimes 

and the dream in a dream 

fades into a day dream 

Time always catches us 

in the end

I move my feet

They take me places 

that I hardly notice 

Stuck in my head

A self-inflected 

perpetual spiraling 

of dread

running laps 

in my head

I reckon I am underwater, my friends 

Stuck in my head

A self-inflicted 

perpetual spiraling 

of dread

running laps 

in my head

over and 

over again  

The White Rabbit 

The Raven

The Bread

The timer chimes

and another poem ends where it begins 

with more questions 

and not enough time.

CH 1/19/26