I used to think life was simple

When I could look in a mirror

To see who I am

But now I know my reflection lies

In the lines of black ink

Staining the pages before me.

I have etched and inscribed my reflection

In much more darkness than light,

In the lessons I have learned

Through blood

And bruises

And broken bones,

Taught through the scars,

Callouses and crooked limbs,

They are now part of my reflection too.

I am no longer a creature of light

I am not a child of the sun

I no longer feel truly alive

But in the dark forest under the moon.

I have stripped naked and ran

With other creatures

Both seen

And occult.

I have felt the weight of the night

Like fathoms of water I was submerged.

I know my balance has shifted

Because I no longer weep for the sun

I have stopped craving safety

Stopped needing comfort

And let go of my need

To fit into a world

That I can no longer understand.

I am more beast than man

I am more wild than tame

I have come to stand tall

In the face of death

And refuse to bow to kings.

I am only what I have survived;

I am punishment

Fury

And pain,

I am wrath,

Lust

And despair

A devil who slipped his chains.

I have climbed from the pit

to howl at the moon with madness

and gnash my teeth

at raging storms

and though I know one day

I will break

One day I will fall

Until that day I will soar free.