The Kingdom of the Sun

The sun pours pure, unblemished rays of morning
Onto the clear, shimmering pool.
The trees rise up around the water,
Making it the center of the world.
I do not fear, then, shedding my clothing
And breaking the surface of the looking glass
With a timid toe.

I let the warm fingertips of the liquid enfold my body
Like nature's second skin.
The king of the sky touches my upturned face,
Inviting me to try to escape his gentle wrath.
I decide to accept, inhaling deeply the crisp air
And diving through the smooth doorway
Into another dimension.

The fluid deluges my nostrils and fills my ears,
Such as a persistent invader.
The warped language of this new universe whispers,
Softly requesting me to open my eyes.
I raise my lids a slit, widening them suddenly
And viewing with growing amazement
The vast, perpetual blueness.

My hands slice slowly through the thick atmosphere
As once before birth.
The waters rush against my soul's shell,
Caressing my face and lips in cool drafts.
I plunge deeper, exploring the abyss
And weaving in and out and around
The shafts of sunlight.

I fight and wrestle with the temptation to rise
As an indigenous creature of the depths.
My lungs soon begin to sharply ache,
Crying over the voices of the water to escape.
I shake my head, bathing in soft, swirling hair
And finally, reluctantly flying toward the sky
And into the kingdom of the sun.