She was terrified of water
Swimming pools were a dread
She never left the side pool side
One hand always on the edge.

The shallow end is where she stayed
Never letting go
She took an hour to get in
And wouldn’t go if there were crowds.

She drowned in water over her head
While swimming with some friends
A river and the dock were with her at the end
An accident or so they say.

How does a child who panics
At the sight of water in a pool
Venture into a raging river
With no bottom as her ground?

Few people know about our talks
Of suicide as an end
The family can’t consider
That this is how she died.

I know full well her agony
Of losing the family she had
Even though they all abused her
Their loss was more than sad

But abused for all her life
Suzanne died by her own hand
The terror of a watery grave
Than living on the land