riverbeds

Tristan Robert Lange

the inner darkness is
in-
escape-
able.
everything is like pitch—
every-
thing
except for the soft surface,
a milky terrain,
un-
interrupted almost without
exception,
but failing to be
exceptional.
The terrain,  home to dried
                                up
           riverbeds,
    is
otherwise without blemish.
tracing a path along such
forgotten streams
of when the
blood
            flowed
                            with
                   ev-
         er-
y
single hurt inflicted
on a seeking heart—
a soul in need of
the
              very
                               thing
that they were doomed to
be denied—time and again.
tracing every single riverbed,
carved unnaturally
                                        with
                    such
pain—
full
precision—the work of an
anxious hand steadied by
despair’s
                   deadly
                                  focus;
                        each
       riverbed
a reminder to me that I have
always been this broken.
though the rivers have dried up,
though their crimson waters
are no longer let,
their flow
no
       longer
                      has
                                the
                                          same
                                 pull.
                  healed,
         dull-red riverbeds,
almost brown,
         lead one to the
     place where
i almost
drowned
        in pools of my own pain.
a secret place filled with
secret
re-
lease.
these riverbeds may be dry,
but the pain
never
goes
 
a
w
a
y
.
 
© 2025 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
  • Author: Tristan Robert Lange (Online Online)
  • Published: January 18th, 2025 08:35
  • Comment from author about the poem: This poem is dedicated to those who struggle with self-harm. I have faced this challenge myself and I want you to know that you are not alone. Please seek help and support. For immediate support in the U.S., contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, or texting 'HOME' to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Both services are available 24/7 and offer free, confidential support. International readers can find local mental health resources by visiting organizations like Befrienders Worldwide or the International Association for Suicide Prevention, which provide directories of helplines and support services across different countries.
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 1
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