The Empty Reach

I slipped beyond the cliff’s stark edge,
The wind erased each steady trace.
No hand appeared upon the ledge,
No friend emerged to fill that space.

The valley drew me ever deep,
Cold currents crossed the vacant air.
Old promises I meant to keep,
Dissolved; no shelter waited there.

I searched the heights I knew by heart,
For voices sworn to stay near.
The distance pulled those vows apart,
And left me with unguarded fear.

My pulse kept time against the fall,
A measured beat through doubt and strain.
The silence answered every call,
And gave no refuge from the pain.

Then grief released its iron claim,
As truth cut through each frail disguise.
The drop remained, yet still I came,
To meet myself with clearer eyes.

Though none arrived to halt descent,
I found a strength beneath the scar.
What felt like loss became intent,
And showed me who I truly are.