Withered Hands

I feel your ghost beside me as I take my aching steps into the sand
And as the waves take my breath I realize I can no longer stand
I remember when we sat on the shore
I watched your guilt pollute the sea
But I would keep pressing on and turn this vice to apathy

The waves would come and consume us; you'd no longer see the beauty here
And I would start to drown you the harder I tried to keep you near

I can't stand with a broken spine. You'll see my hands wither in time
And even though I know you're gone, your presence lingers on
I can't keep my languid lids lifted
I'll sleep on the sand that I've searched and sifted
But you'll still float through my dreams. You'll swell up and over me

I keep searching for the root that grew from the seed you planted
Dark things have grown up, cracked the pavement where we were standing

There's no place I feel at home
I've been torn away from everything I've known
My surroundings are re-arranged; strange places with familiar names

And every night I wake up in cold sweat to find a spider in my bed
I like to think that it's you trying to crawl inside my head

Lover this fracture forever shaped my skin
I'm cold and terrified as morning comes to watch me break again

The morning brings such unique sorrow
I'm sick of watching the sun come up
No promise of a new day in tomorrow when I'm tired of waking up

You left me to bear the weight of our sin
Now I have to bear this burden until the very end