the shrine is perfected, my job is done.
look at how big it is, how magnificent,
i filled with monuments of your glory.
there you are on the swim team,
winning that gold i can never get; and
there you are with our parents, a perfect 
family picture before i was born.

o great leader,
i have followed you ever since i can remember.
when i was six, i gave you my hand,
hooked onto your pinkie so you could lead.
when i was ten, i gave you my eyes,
saw the world in your light so that
i could give you my mouth and voice when i was fifteen.

and when it came to giving you my back,
i couldn’t help but cry. i am punctured
and beaten, body raw and red,
but that means that you’re safe, gleaming
above. 

you are that bright future i can’t be,
so i cling to you like shadow – 
my darkness will make you even brighter.
soon, i’ll offer my name, too,
so yours will be purer,
untainted by any burdens.
finally, when the time comes,
i will offer you my last —

and from my ashes you will rise.