the coldest of life rafts

I found something to cling to
to hold me to the surface of the water

I have had dreams
where I wake up
and find myself floating around on a sheet of ice
all alone in a dark, Arctic Ocean

The silence there is so pure
one can almost hear the sun
beating on the clouds that fiercely hold back her beauty.

Here, there is nothing left to do but breathe

Then, as I look into the obsidian waters
I realize I can paddle.
I have no idea where I'm going
everything seems so far away and unwelcoming.

I get over my fear
of sharks or something
eating my arms as I paddle
or maybe the water will take them again
But this is where I come from
The water is where I was born

None of this feels as cold as it should.

Oddly...
though I can't see any of them,
I know there are others out there
others who are and are not
connected to me
others, floating alone in their pain
looking for distant obscure shores
that seem unwelcoming.

We will find our way...
there aren't many other options.