Embrace the mutilation
of self not because it is
a beautiful or brave thing
but because you will not stop
not even after you touch crimson
and maybe you can let a word
first uttered in 1886
answer the whys and whys
so when the rawness
bleeds through your fingertips
and breathing becomes theory
you can convince yourself that this
is the only way to feel alive because nothing has ever been
more terrifying than just being.