“The Hollow Sea” is a raw, haunting poem by Rowan Evans that explores the inner landscape of depression, emotional numbness, and suicidal ideation. Written in their signature style of Neo-Gothic Confessional Romanticism, this piece gives voice to the quiet desperation and fragile hope that exist in the same breath. Content warning is provided below. Please read with care—and remember, you are not alone.

⚠️ Content Warning:
This poem explores themes of depression, suicidal ideation, and emotional numbness. Please read with care, and know you are not alone. If you’re struggling, there is help, and there is hope.

“The Hollow Sea”
(a poem about surviving when nothing makes sense)

Here we go—

I feel like I’m floating,
Drifting in the hollow sea,
Sunburnt bones in boiling brine,
Salt-cracked lips that cease to plea.
This life is not a gift—it gnaws.
I’m blistered down to silent flaws.

I feel like—

Letting the razor kiss my skin,
A silver tongue that aches to speak,
To write in crimson cursive script
The truths I’m far too shamed to shriek.
I kiss the barrel—metal bride—
Salt-streaked face I cannot hide.

I’m too meek, too weak, too gone,
A phantom cloaked in half-past dawn.
I haven’t left my shadowed room—
Two weeks entombed inside this gloom.

‘Cause I—

Am drifting, lost in zero g’s,
A marionette with severed strings.
My feet forget the taste of earth,
My heart forgets most everything.

Noose-necked, swinging on a prayer,
A bruised bouquet of breathless air.
I’m hoping pain will be the end—
The final hand, the final bend—
Yet even as I beg release,
My lungs betray me, gasping peace.

My ribs are cathedrals filled with rot,
My mind—a shrine that time forgot.
Devotion stitched in broken glass,
A requiem of what won’t pass.

And yet—

Though every star feels sharp and cruel,
One blink of dawn might make me whole.

💬 If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out:

🇺🇸 United States

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988
https://988lifeline.org
Free, 24/7 support for emotional distress and mental health crises.

Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741741
https://www.crisistextline.org

—

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Samaritans – Call 116 123 (free, 24/7)
https://www.samaritans.org

—

🇦🇺 Australia

Lifeline Australia – Call 13 11 14
https://www.lifeline.org.au

Kids Helpline (ages 5–25) – Call 1800 55 1800
https://www.kidshelpline.com.au

—

🇨🇦 Canada

Talk Suicide Canada – Call 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645
https://talksuicide.ca

—

🇵🇭 Philippines

Hopeline Philippines
Call: 0917 558 4673, (02) 8804 4673, or 2919 (toll-free for Globe & TM)
https://www.hopelineph.com

—

🌍 Global

Befrienders Worldwide – Emotional support in 30+ countries
https://www.befrienders.org

Suicide Prevention Wiki (International Hotline Directory)
https://suicidestop.com/call_a_hotline.html

🖤 You Matter.

Even when the world feels unbearably heavy — you are not alone.
There is help. There is hope. Please stay.

Still Here (A Poem About Suicidal Thoughts, Survival and Hope