In My Defense, I Thought We Both Couldn’t Swim

I thought we were sinking together.
Too late I knew,
it was the weight of you,
stepping on me for air.
You could’ve thrown me a life vest,
waited while I reached for a buoy,
held the line just long enough
for me to surface.

I was your raft—
you pushed me under to breathe,
afraid to slip under,
not knowing sharks don’t drown.
You watched,
dry and distant.
I called for you,
until words became decay.

NO.
NOT AGAIN.
NOT FOR YOU.

I won’t reply to your too-late text,
your half-hearted fractures across a sea I sank in,
while you waited safely on shore.

Fuck your timing.
I rose alone, breathless but free.
I rather enjoy the quiet of losing you.