They said I was too quiet
Like quiet was a fault
Like still water wasn't moving
Just because it didn't shout
But still water runs the deepest
Carries more than what you see
The surface calm is not the absence
Of everything beneath
Still water runs
Deeper than the rivers
That make all that noise
To tell you they exist
Still water runs
Carrying its fullness
Without needing every person
To know what it holds
I am still water
Don't mistake the surface
For the story
For the whole
Still water runs
And I run deep
Still water runs
And I run free
Still water
Still me
I used to chase the loudness
Thought that visible meant real
Thought that if nobody saw it
Then I wasn't meant to feel
But some of the most precious
Living happens out of sight
The root work in the darkness
The quiet morning light
Peace is not the absence
Of a storm that came before
Peace is knowing you survived it
And not needing to keep score
Peace is waking without armour
Because the wars have left your chest
Still water after everything
Is not silence
It's the rest
still
and deep
and free
and mine
Still water runs
Still mine
Still deep
Still free
Still water
Still me
