Octopus
My eyes cracked open to reveal a cloudy view
I drew my arms up to rub my eyes
My appendages felt alien
My flesh was an alien like slick
And dry
Too dry
I reopened my eyes but what I saw was no clearer
Suddenly conscious of movement
I was a puddle of slime and arms
But too dry
I looked around
I wasn’t indoors
Birds swarmed overhead
Light was disappearing over the horizon
I heard waves
The thought of water
Swimming in it
Drowning in it
Was wildly entertaining
Slowly
Attempting to grasp something
Dragging forward
In the hot sun
But finally making it to the water
The cold surrounded and cooled the burning skin
My trek deeper was made easy by the under toe
The current swaying
Pulling me further out
Discover a whole new water below the surface
More colors
Schools of shiny fish
Shiny delicious fish
Large bodies of vibrant coral
Challenging my coordination
The new tentacles dug between the cracks of the reef
Finding a delicious snack
After months later in my new form
And I felt lighter
Easier to breathe
Despite the overall lack of oxygen
My view is clear
Colorful
More so than ever
The space was,
Liberating
Relaxing
No expectations
No unspoken obligation to conform to others needs
Just mine
I am finally
Truly free
-Aura Ward, freshman
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