A Guide to the Air-Dependent
first published in Strange Horizons
On breathing water: first, relax—
accept that what is now
and what will come
are different.
Eyes closed, allow the water
to envelop your face. A liminal kiss
is a prayer and a promise.
Do not force.
Contract your stomach; hold tension:
the act of moving without motion.
Focus on the effort wasted
that makes you stronger.
Perspective.
Squeeze gently inwards, allowing fear
to leak away (in your breath, in your sweat). It
is becoming you. You
becoming it.
Inversion.
On leaving air: relax—
let nature follow flow, water
filling lungs.
This moment of transition
the gods adore, and now
is when the nanites set:
bubbles mark your last breath
of air.
First published in Strange Horizons, 2009-01-19. Still up at the original.