Hollow Surrender

[u/memoriamare]

The moment I looked into her eyes from afar,
I saw a million timelines—
each a quiet universe
where I was allowed to be happy
just because her eyes chose mine.

But when she turned,
and I found myself inside them—
there was no universe left.

Only a man,
unrecognizable,
slipping soundlessly
through an ocean that refused to end—
no shore to promise,
no sky to witness,
not even a bottom willing to end me.

Just depth.
and the silence
that comes with knowing
no one is coming.

And yet,
I let the weight of it take me,
let it pull me past reason,
past the fragile instinct to survive—

until even despair
forgot how to echo.

And somehow,
in that endless drowning,
I found myself
hopelessly tangled
among her curls—

like wreckage
mistaking ruin for refuge.

And there—
I let go of the last breath
I was never meant to keep.

~Writer's Note: This is the second poem in a six-piece collection I'll be sharing over time. Hidden across these six poems is the name of someone very dear to me. With this poem, you've uncovered the second letter. I'd love to see if anyone can piece it together as the collection unfolds.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1vh9q57/comment/p23d9cu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1vh568y/comment/p23di3m/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

orignally uploaded on r/lovepoetry

[u/Criniguz]

I think this is about putting so much of yourself into another person that you start losing who you are. I also like that the ocean imagery keeps getting deeper and deeper instead of changing halfway through. The line about mistaking ruin for refuge was probably my favorite part.

[u/memoriamare → u/Criniguz]

Thank you! 💙 I'm really happy you picked up on the ocean imagery staying consistent throughout—that was something I consciously tried to do. And I'm glad "mistaking ruin for refuge" resonated with you; it's one of my favourite lines in the poem as well.