I hail from the hellfire that raised me
And the shadows that granted me solace
Black as the Pit from pole to pole -
And I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul -
The years that lay ahead
Are but a shadow of the menace of the trail I've already blazed
I come armed with the horror
Of foresight, hope, teeth, and claw
And you shall find me angry, trembling
But laughing, weeping
Smiling, and
Unafraid.
I have sparred with far greater things than this
I have come out bent, bloody, but
I have faced the void inside me and befriended it, so
You may try and take my eyes, my body,
You may try and come to my door,
You may try and take everything from me
But I am antifragile, incomprehensible
And I know myself far better than you know you.
Attempt to obstruct me, too, if you wish.
You will only come to know what the others know
You will only fight what the others fought.
You will only find what the others found -
That in the end, only I am the master of my fate.
Only I am the captain of my soul.
-20 January 2025, after "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley