To Breathe Underwater Poem by Justin Tallman

They say
she's jumped ship
to swim in the ocean
to be baptized with truth

She claims
the clouds whispered lies
promised an earthly heaven
where freedom is more
than a dream

I wait
for concrete evidence to prove
idealistic words like love and faith
and superstitious numbers like 13 and 7

We play
with religious fanatics and romantics
a game with stones and flowers
the winner laughs at those who die

Rumor has it
this is a bullshit and pointless trap
as we refuse to ignore the plasma screens
oblivious to the obvious bait

I now know why
she jumped in the sea