Lifeline
by Erin B. Hart
People say when you are feeling down,
Lonely, isolated, anxious, depressed,
You should reach out for help.
But I’m busy drowning, you see.
It takes all of my energy
Just to keep my head above water,
To take one more breath,
To keep the seaweed from wrapping around my legs
and dragging me under,
To watch for sharks and jellyfish,
and fight the numbing cold.
And here’s the other important thing
Those people need to know,
The ones who tell me what I should do
When I’m freezing and exhausted
and vomiting up sea water:
I can’t count the number of times
I’ve already shouted for help,
Tried to flag down passing ships,
Or found a scrap of wood to float on
for a few more hours.
How many times am I supposed to ask for a lifeline
When I’m so busy drowning?
I recently started diving deeper into the practice of writing poetry by joining a poetry meetup group, then forming my own women’s poetry group. A friend joined a challenge to write a poem a day for a month, based on a word prompt in the theme of hope. Every time she shared one of those prompts with me, my immediate reaction was anything but hope. So I decided to write about it, and this poem, “Lifeline,” was born. I read it to my Heartlight Institute support group, and they strongly resonated with it and suggested I publish it for our fellow grievers. Thank you, HeartLight, for giving me a venue to do just that. Writing about my grief always gives me a sense of relief, and I want to share it with others so they know they’re not the only ones struggling.
Erin
Written by: Erin B. Hart
July 2024