when i was a kid
quicksand
was the de facto danger
be careful where you step
it was supposedly everywhere

as a teen
i took it for granted
it was an urban myth
the ground
was seldom perilous

i didn’t understand
that it was a metaphor
heart bleeding on my sleeve
i stomped
without a care

it wasn’t until adulthood
i felt myself
sinking in the mire
i wasn’t getting shorter
i was being swallowed

quicksand is everywhere
the bat of eyelashes
the innocent smile
each with distinct
gravitational pull

drowning by inches
in emotional quicksand
never seeing the issues
until
the light goes out

i read somewhere
don’t panic
the more you struggle
the quicker
you sink

i haven’t seen the light
in days
drowning
in emotional debt
nary a lender in reach

when i was a kid
it was quicksand
as a teen i forgot
now as a man
it is far too real

don’t struggle
surrender to it
let it swallow you whole
maybe you’ll get lucky
leave a well preserved corpse