Dark Waters Poem by Irene Pang

Quietly and surreptitiously,
I tiptoed my way out of my hotel room,
Leaving my snoring parents behind.
I walked past the resort lobby,
Past the open bar,
Where a few bartenders had begun
To pack their belongings
And call it a day/night.

I stopped to glance at them,
But they did not notice my presence.
“Good, ” I thought.
“They would not be in my way.”
I walked past the pool,
Down to the beach,
And to the shore.
Then, I removed my flip-flops
And lied down on the sand.

I closed my eyes
And held my breath.
Then, I listened
To the sound of waves
Licking the shoreline.
With each splash,
I sank into a deeper trance.
Then I slowly opened my eyes
And looked up to the darkness above.

The sky was like Grandma’s cape,
Decorated with bright and shiny diamonds.
I smiled to myself,
As I watched the sky in awe.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky…”
I whispered to thin air.

Then I slowly got up,
And walked towards the ocean.
I removed all of my clothes,
And untied my ponytail.
Then, I buried my clothes in the sand,
Lest anyone will find them.
Slowly, I walked towards
The vast ocean before me.
The water felt cold
Against my bare skin,
But I walked on.

Then I began to swim,
In darkness,
With the bright stars above
As my sole guidance.
After what seemed like forever,
I paused in the ocean.
I looked back towards the shore.
The resort complex had become
As small as the size of an ant.

I smiled to myself, again.
And took a deep breath.
Then I closed my eyes,
And let the waters take care of me.
I began to sink.
Lower
and lower,
I went.
Gradually, I had lost
consciousness.
I had lost track
of time.

It seemed as if time had
Stopped.
But to me,
my time had reached
eternity.