chewing on my tongue in the hopes of learning to say this the right way.
at first it was nothing like drowning. you had left all these air bubbles behind because, well, i guess you knew that i'd need to breathe.
eventually, every single one of us needs to take a breather.
once the bubbles ran out i was frantic.
all the giddiness that came with freedom just...slithered out.

our childhood, simply put, is the writing of life's instruction manuel.
we're given all the pieces and the cards
we're told which way to move
and how to determine who wins.
except, this time, we're playing for keeps
and after you've reached the checkpoint there's no more mumbling over your shoulder
move this there
move that here
now the game is yours.
and sure, we're all thrown off when we come to the realization that all of our friends are playing a different game entirely.
you put your rules up to their rules and you see a different world.
my daddy says this game is white only
and that every man has an ace
so now that we're playing your game...
i have no idea where i stand
with this ace in my hand.