let's stay here

i wake up from a bad dream.
it's almost as if I've been under water
months at a time.
hardly alive,
hardly breathing.
i could see
above me
the ships sailing over,
the oars
slapping against the current.
i watched the silver
fish in schools
wave by.
the water was cold,
darker as i sunk deeper.
the tangle of the bottom
kept pulling me down,
then a hand reached
for me and pulled me up,
gave me air.
embraced me then said,
you're awake now,
be who you are, be true
to yourself,
let's stay here.