The Hazards of Diving

I know a man who dives for abalone.
He tells me of its hazards,
how it's possible to dive too deep,
remain too long in the seductive dark
like a gambler who can't break
from the spinning roulette wheel
because he feels too lucky.
Depleted of oxygen, a diver's brain
might mistake up for down, down for up
and with impaired judgement come to distrust
his own exhaled bubbles' ascension
and choose rather to swim down
in search of mermaids
like the poor fool who tosses
his life savings on the gambling table
in order to win back his Lexus.
Those few who've survived
affirm the ecstacy
of confusing down for up
loss for gain
dark for light
the mermaid's embrace.