The distance between us  
Stretches, vast and dark,  
A storm of broken senses  
That tears me apart.  

Out here, I wrestle  
With nature’s cruel game—  
Waves whip and lash me,  
Salt brands me with shame.  

Mountains of water,  
Crash, freezing my skin,  
I’m anchored to the seabed,  
Crushed with guilt, and sin.  

Fear is my existence,  
Hope feels far from home.  
Encircled by water,  
I’m fighting alone.  

Memories surge,  
A flickering reel,  
Each one a wave  
I can no longer feel.  

Numb to the light,  
And the glorious view,  
A break in the storm—  
Leads me to you.

By Darren Wall ©

I'm drifting out to sea,  
Where the storms brew,  
At peace with the thunder,  
Entranced by the view.  

The lightning leads,  
As my eyes fixate—  
The violent storm  
Communicates.  

I can't hear your cries,  
I can't feel your pain,  
Blind to your attempts  
To save me again.  

The sea crashes,  
I’m dragged from the shore,  
Trapped and alone—  
To fight this harsh war.  

I'm lost in the storm  
That silences your plea.  
Don’t cry for me now…  
This fight is in me.  

By Darren Wall ©

His senses hold him prisoner,  
Overwhelmed and alone.  
The walls are his burden;  
The light, too much to bear.  

The soaked linen of yesterday’s news,  
Stained with fear from battles before—  
An old uniform hangs alone,  
Boots polished beside paper awards.  

Headlights cast broken shadows,  
Each a spectre of the past.  
Empty scotch bottles and cigarette burns  
Mark a slow crawl to solitude.  

Light burns through a slither 
His heart beats through the walls.  
Strangled by the sirens  
That triggered him before.  

He needs to be cradled,  
Yet no hand reaches for him.  
He sways back and forth,  
A pendulum of grief.  

Screams, muted by paralysis;  
Silence pervades the void.  
Fractured by a rasping breath  
And a crescendo of emotions.  

The warning bells pass—  
They did not come for him.  
His fragile breath of sorrow  
Whispers to an empty room.  

By Darren Wall ©