Rainbows

I hear the muted sounds of waves crashing
against the dark rocks that jut out from the ocean,
As if the volume of the world had been
turned down until it was almost inaudible.

My ears beneath the surface,
fill to the drum with the salty water,
The sound of my breathing magnified,
making each breath a shout in my ears.

I taste the ocean as it filters into my mouth
around the snorkel at my lips.
The water leaves a bitter taste,
It causes my nose to wrinkle.

I feel the wind on my back as I float,
causing the hairs on my skin to stand,
and little bumps erupt over
every inch of exposed flesh.

Through the dirty lenses of my swimming goggles,
I see flashes of rainbows glimmering in the water.
Suddenly, the fish were everywhere, surrounding me,
clouding my vision with hues of yellow and blue.

I want to see more colors.
But the rainbows leave,
swimming farther out in the ocean
I need to swim after them.

Ignoring the warnings from my parents,
I swim further,
I am a strong swimmer, but the current
in the deep water grows stronger.

Swept up by the current,
My heart begins racing.
It pounds against the wall of my chest.
My breaths turn to violent screams.

I again hear the muted sounds of waves
crashing against the black rocks
as they mix with the shouts of my mother and father,
calling to God to save their baby.

I fight against the current,
Swim and push,
trying to move forward,
but the current pulls me backwards.

It pushes me down until
the surface of the water is above my head.
All around me, I see them.
They shimmer and sparkle in the deep blue.

My lungs scream and burn,
I open my mouth for breath,
the snorkel falls out,
and the ocean fills my lungs.