water on stone

these are the words i will write down
in water on stone
to never repeat while i wash all my sin
from my bone.
and this is the skin which i shed
from my body of shame.
don’t look at it, don’t touch it, and dear god
don’t give it a name.
these are the weapons i dismiss and
lay by the door
to summon reluctantly only as
a last resort.
and this is the song i will sing:
some of them know who i am, and who i’ll become
some of them know what it is that i was running from
& all of them whispered a warning in the ears of the little ones
saying “this is the wrong thing to be…”
these are my masters, all of them slain
by my hand.
now lost to all, except for the sea
and the sand.
now this is the start of a whole new life
to me.
i’ve lost, gained, and lost and now i will find out
what is to be.
and this is the song i will sing:
some of them know who i am, and who i’ll become
some of them know what it is that i was running from
& all of them whispered a warning in the ears of the little ones
saying “this is what you will be…”
these are the words i will write down
in water on stone.
remember them, children, for they are all i have
ever known.