Submerged

A poem by Lola Ridge

I have known only my own shallows -
Safe, plumbed places,
Where I was wont to preen myself.

But for the abyss
I wanted a plank beneath
And horizons...

I was afraid of the silence
And the slipping toe-hold...

Oh, could I now dive
Into the unexplored deeps of me -
Delve and bring up and give
All that is submerged, encased, unfolded,
That is yet the best.