Waves against a bloody shore

water but no stones

shedding skin: sanitised and naked

a retreating tide of sorrow and joy

stepping into the hollow

of vanishing fears and dreams

the rise and fall

bears the thief

stealthily, magically

a stream, a river, a sea, an ocean

i am swallowed by molecules

stripped by equation

deconstructed by imitation

i float but am anchored

stained around the edges

i no longer define myself

but consult the black and white

for guidance in my absence

a catalyst of emptiness

an equal and opposite reaction  

accelerating decomposition  

my chemical swan song.