The Demanding Ether

I would rather
not come up for air

whyshouldiwhyshouldiwhyshouldi

No
I don't want to die

it's just calmer down here
below
the demanding ether

I wish for a while
that the bath tiles
would absorb all this energy
gnawing relentlessly
at the quiet places
that are so hard to find
hidden deep within me

I'm sure they won't mind
and
their cool, white faces
seem to agree

But my lungs start to burn
I have to return

so I float to the surface
and
take in the air
however demanding

Floating
balancing
between water
       and ether

I feel peaceful

I feel
more
ALIVE