Try Harder

‘Try harder.’ It says

All the more not to

A trench in sight, I’m stuck

Sinking in the still mud

Almost out of breath, a cry for help

Not a word uttered, choked by it

Eagerly waiting,

‘Try harder.’ They say

Never up, always down

That which I pursue, out of reach

Heights I can’t reach,

What if I fall? Or worse, slip away

Cornered, yet at its centre

No hiding spot in sight

Can’t run, can't hide

All there is is ‘Try harder.’

Guess it's cling or snatch

Not letting go—

I grip it

even as it drags me under

until something in me stops breaking.