I knew about drowning
Long before love taught me:
Eyes, nose, mouth filled with water,
Holding my breath
Until lungs screamed for air
and my pulse crashed in my ears
Like breakers on a rocky shore.
From one near-drowning I feared deep water
And took until I was a teen to learn to swim.
And so it was with love:
One kiss and I knew
How close to drowning love was.
Should I take the plunge?

Lillian Susan Thomas

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/drowning-68/