ascetic strain

ascetic strain 

taught me to self-shrink

beyond the thin aesthetic.

to think in absence 

and perceive in presence.

suffocating strings

wound from shame, 

began to fray

the moment i left home

and forgot my name.

i collect calluses 

on this path of pain.

they stiffen my soul

and erode my fingerprints,

polishing my eyes to witness.

etched into my tender flesh 

are truths embodied.

where my ribs peek shyly

and confidently speak 

in the paradox of silence.

to you i shrink,

disappear into skin

and spiral within delusion.

beyond the illusion

of the mind’s control

i find freedom in nothing

where i exist in everything.