What are we but relics
of time gone by

Where painful encounters
stay undenied

The wounds may scar over
but never heal

As memory is martyred
its blood congealed

New skin tries to cover
what sutures can’t hide

Each moment recovered
a falsehood decried

With strength built on pillars
of fortunes disdain

From deep in the shadows
—our essence remains

(Dreamsleep: January, 2023)