It starts as pain
twisting anguish in the chest
tightening anxiety pulling at your lungs

breathe
heaving the weight of your own body
your flesh and blood like stone

it demands an
offering
votive sacrifice
of blood or be it even soul
sacred fluid coursing the capillaries
tracing the form of your spirit

let loose, let loose this
this holy script
this holy spirit
adding myself to it
to this

this holy ink

to be one upon the page
bound to the leaf
bound to the word
bound to the will
of something beyond myself
at the mercy of
at the care of
at the will of
something beyond myself
awoken for
tortured for
spoken for
something beyond
us