Against the Current

by Ruth Albarran
(Waukegan, Ilinois)

With every stroke his heart raced
as the wings of a hummingbird on a gentle summer breeze

Panting and Struggling against the current,
like a plume being thrust by the wind

as the tears in his eyes froze
like icicles seen on a sultry winter day

there was still hope
like that of a child who begs for bread

he must survive
shivering like a fawn in a frost

water thrashed his face
stinging like lemon on a fresh cut

the current advanced and he let himself go
like a pebble on a shore.