Introduction
This poem was written approximately six months into my sobriety.
Much of early recovery felt less like rebuilding myself and more like questioning whether the self I had built ever truly existed.
The poem traces that uncertainty, moving through mortality, ego, identity, and purpose before arriving at a quieter realization: peace may not come from certainty, but from accepting contradiction.
Although it is philosophical in nature, the piece was born from lived experience rather than abstract thought. It reflects the unsettling space between letting go of an old identity and discovering what remains once the noise has faded.
The Gravity Of Duality
June 23, 2022 • Poetry
My dreams blur the line between reality and insanity,
I open my eyes and contemplate my mortality,
Still, I stir, out of an obligation to practicality
Each night I live full lives filled with calamity,
My time, here, is the only sense of normality,
Hanging by my heel, I feel the weight of gravity,
I try to understand in any capacity,
Why my vision is hazed with such brutality,
Seeking meaning is a fallacy,
Placing purpose of such things is an act of vanity,
Releasing hold on ego does not merit morality,
Individuality is a toxic mentality,
Reabsorption to the source, in totality,
Is the single source of immortality,
Losing identity, but in actuality,
Finding peace within duality
Behind the Work
Unlike many of my later pieces, this poem was written with unusual restraint.
Each line follows the same rhythmic cadence while ending in variations of the same sound, creating the feeling of an unbroken philosophical chain. Rather than relying on vivid imagery or narrative, it explores abstract ideas directly, allowing each thought to build naturally into the next.
Looking back, I recognize this poem as one of the earliest foundations of my creative voice. Many of the questions that would later appear throughout my artwork and writing (identity, consciousness, duality, impermanence, and transformation) first emerged here in their simplest form.
Reflection
Recovery is often described as finding yourself again.
For me, it felt more like letting go of someone I thought I had to be.
Looking back, I hear this poem as a quiet conversation with myself during a time when certainty had disappeared. Dreams, mortality, ego, purpose, and identity all became questions rather than conclusions. Instead of searching for definitive answers, I slowly began accepting that opposing truths can coexist and that strength can exist alongside vulnerability, grief beside gratitude, and individuality within something much larger than ourselves.
This poem doesn't attempt to solve those questions. It simply marks one of the first moments where I became comfortable asking them.
Work Details
Written: June 23, 2022
Medium: Free-verse poetry
Primary Themes: Recovery • Identity • Ego Dissolution • Duality • Mortality • Consciousness • Purpose
Literary Devices: Monorhyme (-ality) • Anaphora • Parallel Structure • Philosophical Aphorism • Internal Rhythm • Repetition • Progressive Argument
Related Works: Starfox, Sacred Navigator, Gaia, Fractal Future
This piece is one chapter in a much larger story.
Discover what came before, what followed, and how this work fits into the evolution of my artistic practice.
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