RAVEN BRANHARD

The heartbeat fades
but leaves its rhythm behind.
Secrets tell their stories,
then slip away.

The abyss
gave me its emptiness,
a gift
that grows lighter
each day.

But it’s in the climb
that love still lingers.

From the darkest shadows,
I gather
an emporium of light,

enough
to guide me home,
back to myself.