At The End Poem by Ann McKinley

At the end of the day
I am left alone with nothing but the thoughts that caress my head
Like slippery, gray drowned fingers they try to drag me below
I kick and squirm eyes open wide and refuse to let them win
But every now and then
The slippery gray, water bloated fingers that grasp and scrap
Win the fight and I am plunged
Deep into the waters of darkness
The cold lifeless depths of fear
And the kicking and grasping for air
Does nothing for me
No-one hears me
No-one would save me if they could
The dark water world that I was plunged down into
Turns dry and almost too bright
I am left under fluorescent lights
With my arms wrapped around my knees
Too afraid to open my eyes and see
Till someone touches my shoulder and startles me
Upon my eye opening stood a goddess
In gold and black and silver and white
Eyes like the mountains and hills that surround my life
Hair the color of a dark brown mare
There I am
Looking down on who I was
Lifting myself up from the dry sand
Dressed in gold and black and silver and white
I am reborn
To a stronger version of myself