“Riptide”
By Jessica Rossomando
Conversations are like a riptide.
The more people, the more currents;
The more currents, the more you’re pulled in every direction;
The more directions you’re pulled in, the more disoriented you become;
The more disoriented you are, the harder it becomes to keep yourself afloat;
The harder it becomes to stay afloat, the more you are pulled under the surface;
The currents are strong,
They hold you under,
You desperately swim upwards:
Upwards to air,
Upwards to help,
Upwards to safety.
The problem is revealed because no one can actually see the riptide
No one can feel the tentacle like currents pulling you under;
No one knows how many currents have grabbed hold;
No one knows to reach out their hand;
No one knows that you need help.
Conversations are like a riptide;
Drowning in a sea of sound.
