I'm drifting from the mainland

I've only just made it back

The tide takes me out again

I don't doubt I'll drown

I've held faith in the stability of my island

But the tides threatens to wash it away

The mainland I once knew is now unfamiliar, foreign

New buildings have replaced old ones

The people I once knew have abandoned this place

I left for the sanctuary of my island

Only to see it washed away

Everything I once knew was gone

The river has split

The paths diverge

Mine leads to the ocean

The waves swell and threaten to swallow me whole

Perhaps I may let them

So I may live in my dreams

Of an old land, with old buildings and older residents

The sea is so dark

It envelops me

And yet there is light

I am in a strange place

Full of white light and white noise

My senses are overloaded

She walks in

In her white clothes holding white paper

She claims to be my saviour

I no longer recognise her

Or at least I refuse to

There is darkness in her eyes

They promise broken dreams

She shys away from my aggravated behaviour

She's closed off

I no longer recognise her

This world is alien

The people are rude and shallow

The buildings are too tall

They are filled with secrets

That I cannot hear

Others are entrusted with the city's secrets

But not me

Despite being it's oldest resident

I am not trustworthy enough

It cuts me to my core

I will never recognise this city and its people again

Someone else holds the key

Yet my tears and kind words help the grass grow

So I leave for my island, it's remnants scattered across the sea

I am safe there

I am trustworthy

I hold all its secrets

The new city is beautiful in its darkness

But I can't live there any more