I stop to chat with everyone I see,
Throwing out a lifeline – “Here I am!”
Behind my smile, the rippling Acheron;
Beneath my seeming levity, the Styx
Undulates and laps around my mind.
I am a child of sunshine but, inside,
The rivers rise, and threaten my demise.
I paddle back and forth, making eyes at
Charon, quickly drawing back again,
Stopping to rub Cerberus’s ears
(I do love dogs) and throw a lifeline back
Into the world, into the present moment, laughing
With the strangers that I meet and leaving
Smiles, I hope; a ray of light behind.
20.10.19
Capital Punishment 