“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The future lies before me
Like an endless gray sea
With no shore on its horizon.
Its waters are calm,
Fragrant with brine,
With only small swells
To belie the stillness.
I feel myself pulled
Toward that horizon.
I feel no regret
For what I am leaving behind,
For what am I leaving behind?
Wars and battles continually fought
Since childhood,
Betrayals and unrequited affections
From those I loved,
Masking my pain
With laughter
As I gave and gave
More than I could give
To make myself acceptable
To the world,
Only to fail miserably
Of my own accord.
I am tired.
I've nothing left to give
And no hope of succor.
The sea is calling
And I am patiently waiting
For my time to come.

c. 2025