And Still, You Weren’t There

I fought my fears, drowned in my tears,
Buried sorrow deep—no stone, no years
Could mark the grief I left behind,
Nor map the wreckage of my mind.

I cast my joy to the withered wind,
Walked alone where dreams had thinned.
For a promise, we both once swore,
I bled in silence, and asked no more.

Oceans roared, I crossed them bare,
Cold fangs bit deep, but I was there.
Through thunder’s howl and storm’s cruel sting,
Lightning carved the path I’d cling.

My flesh peeled back in agony’s art,
Still I crawled with a hollow heart.
My skin turned dust, my bones grew thin—
Yet I pressed on, through flame and wind.

At the end, where light should beam,
In the halo of the sunlit dream,
Where vows were made and hearts should meet— you weren’t there.