Fear Poem by Christine McKeen

I stand on the shore line,
the tide washes between my toes.
I stare at the horizon before me
in a dream-like state.
I should have been prepared.
My mother once said life is more
than you want it to be.
When the sky transforms into
a water color painting,
the water washes between my knees.
My eyes fixed on the horizon.
I knew it was coming,
but I was blinded by fear
and couldn't acknowledge it.
The moon replaces the
sun in the night sky.
The water rises to my neck.
I inform Hell, I am coming.
I shut my eyes as the salty water
rises over them.
I notice my fear has won again.
I open my eyes,
to watch the brightness of stars,
darkened by the depth of the water.
At the bottom, there is no Hell
but life.