dampened gravel crunches underfoot as i approach the bank.
still, as the ashen valves in my heart, the glassy surface reflects my watery figure.
daringly, unhesitantly, i peer.
what i see would have forced a shaky breath to escape my throat and form a dispairing cloud in the icy air.
but now, what i see does not even allow a flinch.
for the pith of my bones was glowing through my raw skin;

and my eyes, once slate, had turned
an inky obsidian.

triumph shatters through sadness
leaving shards for the rest to be flayed by
few find intimacy and break free
while we are consumed by perpetual envy

i cry to know that i am exempt
left behind in solitude
for who could find solace in me
who is more nuisance than friend

love, lust, and loss
primordial since existence
inexplicably bound
identical

one may believe in relations
another may succumb to lust
yet either way
the ultimatum is loss

so I plea
to all compatriots in this flood
let those fears be washed away
support, love, be loved
as we will eventually drown