Shark

We all have this sea we call life in which we all tread,

Some of us peacefully, some filled with dread.

Some have an angel, protecting us from sin,

I’ve got a demon with big teeth and a fin.

Circling below me, keeping me at fins length,

He’s biding his time and saving his strength.

A canny demon this one, attacks when I’m weak,

He’s subtle at first, as I can see his fins peak.

You see that’s when I’m safe, I can judge his intent,

But that fin goes under, he’s on to my scent.

I’ve let my guard down, and lost sight of that fin,

Flailing my legs below the surface,

I begin to spin.

My eyes wide open, trying to spy that damn shark,

He brushes my leg beneath in the cold and the dark.

The relapse is coming, and he can smell the fear,

I glance below me, but the water ain’t clear.

With panic set in, arms and legs thrashing,

I hear screams not my own, and others are splashing.

I find I’m not alone in this sea, I have friends and peers,

Each with their own demons and their own fears.

But as a collective, we had bested that shark,

I’m not alone in the cold and the dark.