Episodes of Going Under by Lyne Odhiambo (17, Kentucky)*

He is a knotted mess of nerves
limping under the full moon.
Plans have bloomed behind his eyes
for him to fall back with the tide.

---

No one sees him leave the party’s 
mindless dancing on the shore.
He’s encased in walls of water
but the waves pay him no mind.
They carry on their cosmic dance
ignoring bottle caps and boys.

He dips and rises to the surface
rolling back onto the beach.
If refuge lies in afterlife
he’s standing stranded at its gates.
Saddled with his human form
he missed his chance of meeting God.

His fingers fidget spin his hair
soaked with sunrise in its spirals.
It will dry soon, leaving last night
with no solid evidence.
He is bound to blend right in
to the party’s mindless dancing.

​