One step down… the mouth speaks shame Two steps down… the mouth breathes flame Three steps down… the mouth lies still Four steps down… it breaks your will ⸻ Carved from salt and ritual breath You trace the path your fathers left The gate is bone, the lock is skin You speak the word, it lets you in Each stair a face, each face a plea Each echo shapes identity They do not guard — they warn, they dare You walk them blind… and meet them bare ⸻ STAIR OF MOUTHS — SWALLOW ME! TEACH ME WORDS THAT SET ME FREE! BITE MY NAME, REMOVE THE SKIN! SPEAK THE THING THAT HIDES WITHIN! The mouth of rage does not bite — it waits. The mouth of fear does not scream — it sings. The mouth of truth… has no tongue. ⸻ Downward pulled by memory By hunger shaped in ancestry Each layer bleeds a different tone Of wounds inherited, not owned You kneel before the mask of lust It whispers, “Want is just disguised trust” The mouth of shame begins to laugh You offer it your other half ⸻ STAIR OF MOUTHS — I HEAR YOU NOW! FRACTAL THOUGHTS ON BENDED BROW! DROWN THE SELF IN SACRED DUST! UNNAME ME, UNMAKE THIS TRUST! ⸻ You go down… to go through… to go still…
