I see nothing,
but I can sense
the underwater movement of nearby people
My eyes are locked shut
and although I see nothing
I try to envision everything above me
as well as everything near me
Sixty seconds can feel much longer
when you are beneath the world,
beneath chaos and the complex nature
of above

I listen carefully
only to hear faint blurred voices
I can make nothing out
of what these unfamiliar people are saying
I begin to focus on the peacefulness
of this underwater silence
for the remaining thirty seconds
until I have to swim to the surface
to let my lungs breathe

My skin feels cold, not freezing
but cold like a switch
from summer to autumn
like unfamiliar air
As much as I enjoyed the underwater world
away from reality and the unimaginative universe
I needed air
I forced my toes off the sandy bottom
and paddled my way to the top
When I gasped for air
I immediately wanted those sixty seconds back