This poem is part of our 2015 fund drive bonus issue! Read more about Strange Horizons' funding model, or donate, here.

they don’t tell you
the circle of mushrooms may as well
be inevitable

seasons will choke,
leaving husks dense
with regret

they don’t tell you
to save yourself: you must be willing
to succumb to the pull

drowning is not so easy
as gulping water
or falling

listen

it does not matter where you step:
outcomes are different
than conclusions

your surrender:
affirmation
recourse

and perhaps when your lungs flood
with regret
and the surge of air wrests away
your pauses

you will be redeemed:

infinite circles
never unravel