Drowning for Love

Voices in my head
cannot stop saying how
she’s clouding their vision.
Makes thinking clearly tough

when everything is shaded
her favorite color, blue.
Stands to reason my subconscious
seeks out a woman most pleased

with paint the color of the sea.
I’ve always been an ocean guy.
Smell of salt, raw power surging
against boundaries drawn by land.

But I always sink in the sand,
never achieving a final, briny push,
doing my best anchor impression.
My body straining against the tide

in attempt to stay grounded. My lungs
yearn to express a final gasp of air,
vocal cords doing their best
to wrangle a gleeful cry.

My mouth forever twisted
in the shape of a smile
that would make others wonder why
I chose to go out that way.

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Travis Laurence Naught is an author who lives near Spokane, WA. Two volumes of his confessional poetry, The Virgin Journals (ASD Publishing, 2012) and Still Journaling (e-book, 2013), and his debut fiction novel, Joyride (Black Rose Writing, 2016), are available where books are sold. Individual stories and poems by Travis have been published widely. Check out naughtapoet.blogspot.com for more of his information and original writing!