There are always other fish in the sea
other boys and girls that were abandoned in the ocean
just like you
and they know how you feel.

They know how you want to
ingest all the water you can
till your eyes burn with the salt
and your lungs light a fire.

There are other fish if you look,
if you wait.
There is no direction, no instruction
only desperation.

You take the first hand offered to you.
It’s not the hand you want to hold
but you grip it tightly
let it bring you to the surface
because you are ready to be led by anyone, anywhere
away from here.

Now, death was never a valid option
but you still need a life line
to keep you from slipping
past the shore
or falling into the routine
of spending life in bed
with the screen as your only friend.

There are other boys and girls,
ones that will make you fly from the butterflies.
And even if they bury you in the sand,
at least you will start off in the sky
instead of the ocean floor.