my parents chose a name for me that means
shedding too much skin was inevitable.
they worked alongside my brain to convince me
that this body was always meant to be destroyed.

there isn't a lot left here,
but there's still too much.
I can't control how rapidly this jail cell grows,
but I can control how rapidly I shrink inside of it.
I'm starting to remember the freedom in being trapped.
I'm starting to remember the confinement in being free.
being this empty has never made me feel so full.