Tideland

You sought to dull my voice,
Casting my words into the blankness,
Tossed and swallowed with malice.
In your cruelty you rejoice.

No guiding star to lead me
On a path I did not choose,
I stumble, yet still refuse
This penance defiantly.

Engulfed in poisoned air
Deafened by brackish lies, blinded
By your razor-edged hatred
Scraping, ripping my spirit bare

My voice, my shield, my cutlass,
I wield with an unsteady hand
Against enemies in this tideland.
Crumbling sand castles are my only fortress.

With the stinging wind at my back,
My voice a sharp weapon, I counterattack.