A Poem by Ellie Schindler

Crashing sea Only me Tossing and turning in riptides of black and blue.

They threaten to take hold,

to drag me down— prepare my watery grave.

The current takes me,

my fragile body

thrashing. I hit the cliff. Again and again I am battered—

I grow weary. So cold.

I release Arms outstretched I accept my fate,

and succumb.

But still I feel enough to feel A jarring pressure on my reaching hands.

My eyes, forced open

Stinging in the roiling waters

Meet deep cassel

The grip on my hands tightens now

I am dragged from heaving brine

And she stays with me It has been ages since I have felt such warmth

I learn to smile again Melancholy shackles melt in her presence

Laughter breaks through the darkness

Her light, a gentle flame or a roaring fire leads me home.

I find myself again.