who is the I
when I lose the I—
the ego I—
What remains of me?
i?

the false self, I, sleeps
a soft shadow
in the corner of a room
no longer life’s watchdog.

But what is awake?

the true self
is not named
it watches
it listens
it feels
the rising and falling of life

it notices
the masks,
the echoes,
the silences
and simply is

through that stillness
the i whispers
without claim
without form
present only
as presence

and in its quiet
the world is seen
as it truly is

Originally written: 1/5/26