Water deep.

Increasing and rising in height.

Neck deep.

Drowning.

Slowly becoming submerged in water.

Overwhelming; overbearing.

Water deep.

I am drowning in expectations.

I am covered by responsibilities.

I am surrounded with standards.

I am becoming smothered with commands.

Overtaken by the expectations.

Drowning.

Water slowly rising above my body,

past my feet,

past my waist,

slowly submerging my neck in water.

I am drowning.

I am smothered.

Choking for life.

I am faced with the high tide of life's demands.

The rising water of my duties and responsibilities.

So submerged, nearly choking, almost dead.

Too overbearing, too overwhelming.

Drowning.

You demand this. The water rises.

You command that. Water is rising.

You need this. Water rising.

You expect this. Water rises.

Water is rising.

The water is rising.

Drowning.

I am drowning.

Drowning.

No chance to take a breathe.

No moment for air.

Overtaken.

Submerged in the depths of the deep, deep, water.

I must get air.

I must rise up.

I have sunk to the bottom but, there is a light above.

It shines through the water, radiant and glistening.

I swim.

Stroke after stroke, barely moving.

Slowing reaching.

My arm extended, my hand reaches out of the water.

Drowning.

Submerged.

Struggling for air.

Surrounded by the expectations.

Overtaken by commands.

Then there is light.

I reach.

I struggle.

I will reach my arm out of the water.

Onward, towards the light.