Redwood
Poetry

Hand In Hand

Meghan Malone

October 2023
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You fall and I reach out to catch you
I always have
I always will
Even when the darkness surrounds you
And you are lost to the depths of the sea
I will dive in to reach you
Fighting my way back to the surface

We sit on the edge
Feet kicking waves into the ocean below us
Just the two of us
Hand in hand
Against the world

But you are falling again
For the first time I can only watch it happen
Too tired to catch you
I don’t know how to stop it

So all I can do is to fall with you
Wrap my limbs around you
Protect you as you reach the bottom
And brace for impact

The water rushes up to meet us both
Tossed and turned by the warring tides
I am too exhausted to fight
To run into battle
You are falling
For the first time I am falling too

I let my eyes close
Let calm wash over me with the tide
Let my limbs go limp
No longer in use
No longer necessary
I can’t do this any more

Suddenly I feel my arm being pulled upwards
I am too weary to open my eyes
But I still recognize the shape of your hand
As it fits perfectly into mine
And you kick towards the surface
And you are fighting
And I am fighting too
And you can’t do this alone

And I can’t do this alone          
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