05/05/2025
Where the Ocean Doesn’t Answer
(For the ones who walk out to the edge, seeking quiet)
They said the sea listens
That if you walk far enough
Past the pavement,
Past the noise,
Onto those narrow bridges where only waves speak,
You’ll find peace.
But today,
Someone came with a storm in their chest
And the ocean didn’t hush it.
They walked past the city’s breath,
Hoping the tide would take the weight,
Hoping the echoes of the waves
Would drown out thoughts louder than traffic.
But the thoughts sat beside them
Like uninvited ghosts
That refuse to be washed away.
No one sees them crying there.
Not properly.
Because it’s easier to believe
They’re just admiring the sea.
But behind their stillness,
Is a life stretched thin
A soul bruised by responsibilities,
By being the strong one,
The hopeful one,
The one who always “bounces back”
Until there’s no bounce left.
They sit where the pier ends,
Not because they want to end
But because they’re looking
For somewhere their breath can stretch,
Where their pain won’t echo back,
Where they can be more than just
What they’ve survived.
And no one will know
That this poem is about them.
Or you.
Or anyone who’s ever gone to the sea,
Not for beauty,
But for silence.
So if you see someone there
At the edge,
Still,
Looking out
Don’t assume they’re at peace.
Maybe they came to escape the war inside,
And the waves just haven’t answered back yet.
-Tired Pen
