before the flood

i dreamed that everything was quiet and everything felt calm
standing on the roof, looking out at the circus tent
obscuring the skyline
and the rooftop basketball court that looks like a prison.
my feet pressed the black top
and i felt like punching myself in the throat
or putting a nail through the bones of my foot
without breaking them
when suddenly everything below the third floor was under water
and i was swallowed by a whale.