Breathless

Why can I see you underwater? Your
Pale face slowly vanishing, the cracks
Between bubbles glowing with the
Dying light of your eyes as they’re so
Wide, panicked in fear of the truth and
The future; the short future. I see you
Struggle and fight for air, chasing the
Bubbles as they rise up and pop silently,
Throwing your last gasps into the open
Air, away from the fifty-five-gallon drum
That’s filled with your struggle and thin,
Writhing limbs as if you were a suffocating
Octopus; slimy, your cunning arms wrapped
Tight around the waists of strangers like
Mine around your neck now, softly, knuckles
White like the bloodshot edges of your eyes
Once were. Your violent kicks turned to
Twitches and your eyes stopped blinking;
Bubbles turned to foam, and you gradually
Stopped moving.
Still water.
Breathless.
Job done.
Why can I see you underwater?