We walked the black bank till the ground fell away
And the screams rose like steam from the water’s gray
They exploded inside, sharp knives in my ears
Feeding on sorrow, on unshed tears
I know this river drinks every kind of hurt
And mine isn’t scraped skin or blood in the dirt
It’s the ache that lives quiet, the want to be near
But the world presses in with its thunder and smear
Lights burn, sounds claw, touches sting like fire
Words tangle and vanish, leave me wired and tired
My mind builds a cage, whispers “stay inside”
Promising safety while the real world slides
This is the pain that doesn’t bleed or break
Just a hollow hunger no one else can take
Connection like water I can’t quite reach
Slipping through fingers on this screaming beach
But I feel it all — every wave, every roar
The river knows me, it’s felt this before
And I’m still standing here, heart open wide
Drowning in echoes, but too stubborn to hide
The air tastes like metal, the mist tastes like grief
Every breath pulls the noise deeper, no relief
I want to scream back, but the sound stays locked
Trapped in my throat where the silence is shocked
Yet something in me answers the river’s call
Recognizes the hurt, the rise and the fall
Then a hand on my shoulder — steady, warm, real
Cuts through the chaos like a break in the steel
I lift my eyes, see the storm in your face
Big brother, anchor in this underwater place
This is the pain that doesn’t bleed or break
Just a hollow hunger no one else can take
Connection like water I can’t quite reach
But you’re holding on, not letting it teach
Me how to disappear, how to fold away
You’re the quiet proof there’s another way
River of echoes, scream all you want
I’m not running — I’m learning to haunt
Maybe the deep knows what I need to learn
That pain isn’t always something to burn
Sometimes it’s the bridge, the thread, the tie
That pulls me toward you under this black sky
I’m still scared, still shaking, still too much, too loud
But your hand says “stay” — and I’m not so drowned
This is the pain that doesn’t bleed or break
It’s the space between us that I’ll learn to take
Connection like water, slow and deep and true
Starting with your hand, and maybe me too
River of echoes, you can scream my name
I’m still here breathing, in the hurt and the flame
Little brother of the tide, learning to stand
With you beside me, on this haunted land
SonOfTheTide
