I have carried your absence
longer than your presence—
your laughter once rippled across me,
your shadow bent in my tide.
Now I mourn in silence,
my waters thick with silted memory,
each wave a knell,
each eddy a sigh.
But grief is never still.
It shifts, it churns,
and in the turning
I find a darker music.
I imagine the dance
upon your grave,
feet stamping where roots entwine,
a rhythm not of cruelty
but of release—
the body’s last rebellion
against the weight of stone.
I am the Thames:
I cradle both dirge and revel,
I keep your secrets in my depths,
yet on my surface
I shimmer with the laughter
of those who dare to live
after loss.
So let me be both mourner
and musician,
the tide that keens,
the tide that waltzes—
for love, once drowned,
still rises in the current,
still dances in the wake.
.
-
Author:
crypticbard (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: October 20th, 2025 07:43
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 20
- Users favorite of this poem: Tristan Robert Lange
Offline)
Comments8
I have to say Cryptic you have a way with words and images to paint a metaphor that runs deep as the river at times murky like the river but clearing here and there to reveal the truth of such words and metaphor. It often winds and slows and speeds but always heads to the sea of meaning.
Thank you Soren, sometimes words flow to the music of thought and feeling, swooning and waltzing, dancing then retreating. Most appreciated read and review 🙏🏻🕊️
You are always welcome my friend
Good write A.
Thanks O🙏🏻🕊️
Arqios, this is breathtaking…grief and grace woven together until they’re indistinguishable. The river’s voice feels alive…haunted but unbroken. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
That’s probably how to move one, not sure. The river does wash over specially at flood time. Thanks my friend 🙏🏻🕊️
This is a beautifully poignant poem—elegant and mournful, yet full of movement and quiet resilience. It captures the complexity of grief with grace, showing how loss and life can coexist like currents in a river. Very well written!!!
Complexity is always a challenge; often unwelcome but a worthwhile challenge nonetheless. Thanks, Salvia 🙏🏻🕊️
You're welcome!!!
That love will never be forgotten Rik.
Andy
Nope, it won’t. Thanks, Andy 🙏🏻🕊️
Full of depth, made me gasp for air at points. Lovely writing.
Now that’s made my night! Thanks, FrasMac🙏🏻🕊️
You are most welcome, my friend
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