Christopher Shults

Christopher Shults Poems

The Best Poem Of Christopher Shults

Try

Hanging, your body stretched, fingers tightened, muscles pulling, begging to hold as your grasp lets go. A sharp inhale takes you as your eyes widen in surprise while your body squirms in the free fall. Your heart races, eyes wonder, and air zips past your falling body until a pain shoots throughout your body. All you know is gone and the grip on your life is nothing but a memory.

The throbbing pain returns, cringing as the sting crawls throughout your body. Your landing hit before you were aware, the ocean consumes you as you sink. The light begins to fade and only darkness surrounds you. You're cold, alone, and in the dark. Your oxygen is running out and the torture is almost too much. Time heals and destroys all things; your time is running out. The never ending pain continues to throb, the depth of the ocean weighs down on your strength, the darkness shapes your thoughts into fears, and the coldness only brings your form to cradle itself.

You're dying, hurting, yet, you still breathe. Every breath is a struggle, all you know is pain. Let yourself drown; its easy. Nothing matters in the long term, everything and everyone you know will be gone. Your willpower fades, your emotions grow cold, you forget you're alive. You're drowning, the solution is clear and craving finally answered. Yet, your heart still beats, it screams. It knows your pain, it knows your sorrow but it continues to beat on.

Can you still feel? Is the pain wrapped up inside you too much to bare? You dig your nails through your skin, you can feel, you almost smile knowing you're still alive as blood rushes through your cradled body like an infant just given life. A twitch at first before an arm extends and your eyes open, the ocean now lit and clear. A sea of sorrow surrounds you, living corpses chained to the floor all around. The darkness no longer hides their mystery.

Lifting your gaze, the ocean's top is still so far, yet an arm slides into the water to welcome you. You're no longer alone. You swim, and swim, and struggle; an everlasting dream, a sign of false hope. The arm a tease to the other side you once knew. What is stopping you? Your gaze follows down to the grip on your leg, all you see is yourself. A sly grin appears on the doppelganger, a wicked look in his eyes. Sly lies come spewing out; promises of happiness, ease, the fear of change, the fear of losing it all again. Why brother?

An eternity passes and the lies continue, your heart is dying. Then, you remember. You look up, the hand still awaits you. Are you happy in the miserable world? A world where you crave nothing but death? The answer is simple; live or die. But always remember, you were born to live, death comes after.

The doppelganger's grip tightens, dangerous thoughts of a better life, dreams, and hopes for the future race through you. You kick, you're frantic, you're tired, exhausted, struggling, but your heart still beats. The grip on you is loss, you've conquered yourself and your swim to the surface comes slowly but surely. Leaving the other ocean dwellers behind you; their own doppelgangers holding them down. You're tired and your body aches, but you press on.

Your once dreams are becoming reality, but you press on against the struggling current, wanting to bring you back down. Finally, your hand feels the warmth of another. You're pulled from the water, exhausted but free. You can breathe again, fresh air fills your lungs and a brightness you have forgotten almost blinds your eyes. A smile plays on your lips and the paths of life lay before you. None are easy, nothing worth having ever is.

You continue to continue, goal by goal, day by day. The pain you felt, now a reminder of the past you once knew and a reason to push you forward, to persevere. Your weakness is now your strength, all because you tried.

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