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With Breath Held Fast

Above the waterline,
On silk-blue-skin glide free,
As feathered monarch robed in spotless white,
With jeweled beads,
As sparks of spirit slide then drop once more into this sea of life.
Reach long and slender neck-deep breath held fast,
Search far this darkened world of liquid cloud-green silt,
Against the stubborn force of buoyancy you grasp,
Insight of air your sense of place rebuilt.

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- Footnote -

A swan sinks its head deep into the water in search of food. A mute swam, so named for its infrequent declarations.

Swan: derived from the Indo-European root word 'swen': to sound, to sing.