Mavericks – By Soph Garcia

my body floats in an abandoned ocean

i feel weightless as i rock back and forth

back n forth…back n forth

my face warmed by the sun,

the soft waves caressing my skin
no curve left untouched,
but starving for more

longing to feel the next rush of air

the tension between me and the water grows
needing every wave to be better than the last

what i need is a maverick

a power so grand my mind cannot comprehend it

but my soul understands it

something that towers over me

and scares me into looking at the deepest parts of myself
something that barrels down, pulls, and spins me around until i no longer know which way is up

hello…? HELLO?!

my thoughts are drowning in the cracking sound of the water hitting itself
i can’t breathe, i try to scream
only to watch the air bubbles rise to the surface trapping my voice inside
the salt is burning wounds I didnt even know i had

its cold
i am not supposed to feel cold
since when is the water cold?

are my feet supposed to be numb?

why is my skin turning blue?
where is the surface?

I CANT BREATHE

HELLO?! HELP! I’M STUCK!

i float to the top

i get heavier each second
i am fighting for the surface

just when i reach the top

my face almost above it
a maverick comes crashing down again

again i spin, spiral, and sink to the bottom

wondering which way is up

wondering when i’ll hit the bottom
wondering why the water is warm now

wasn’t the water cold?

wasn’t the water louder than this?
is my body adapting or does this wave just not hurt as much?

how did this wave know to feed me air?

how did this wave know the way to hold me?
how did this was know when it was time to bring me to the surface?

this wave is different

what makes this wave different?

is this it? is this my maverick?

i reach the surface

i am shot 75 feet above the water

i can feel my body get lighter
then my stomach drops as i realize i am falling

i hit the water, but i do not sink.

i lay on the surface
feeling the waves work together to carry me back n forth

back n forth
back n forth

i feel the water calm

i smell the shore
i am carried to it by the thing that took me from it

the waves push my back onto the sand and i am left standing at the shoreline.

most people are scared of the fact that i chase mavericks

most people seem to be proven right every time i find the wrong one
most people dont understand me

they dont understand i NEED to be touched by the waves

they dont understand why i NEED to chase them
they dont understand i NEED… to be loved