Beneath the scorching stream I bid my stains depart
Yet crimson rivulets linger mocking my weary heart
Steam rises like whispered ghosts each breath a silent plea
But water fleeting water grants no immunity
Futile cleansing oh vain reprieve
Where sin's dark mantle doth refuse to leave
No liquid grace can purge what dwells within
These wretched hands bear witness to my sin
The mirror's glare reveals a face no cloth can truly dry
A guilt-etched stare that dares the truth yet doth deny
Though hot cascades may scald they cannot mend the scar
For shame's embrace still clings where mercy dwells afar
We exit washed in sorrow yet marked in secret dread
For water's benediction fails to raise the lifeless dead
Futile cleansing at the dawn a ritual unmasked
Eternally unpurged my heart remains harassed
