The Sound of the River Tide Against the Canal Wall

Dear Delyara, The Thames must be hitting high tide, because the stagnant water in our small connecting canal has started to rise, lapping heavily against the vertical wooden pilings beneath the perimeter fence. It’s a wet, hollow sucking sound that fills the gaps between the passing lorries. Water is the only thing in this city that doesn't care about industrial development, corporate contracts, or security borders. It flows where it wants, remembering old paths long after the concrete has been poured over them. Listening to it move in the dark makes me realize how much of my own life I’ve tried to fence in with spreadsheets and brand strategies, while the raw, fluid reality of who I am is just waiting for the barriers to crack.