within the sanctuary of your soul, I found religion

my identity has been stripped
a blasphemer is my calling card
I let it flow through the labyrinth of mind
welcoming with an open heart

I found myself basking in the afternoon ocean
dancing my fingers through the surface
caressing the warmth of saltiness
drifting in complacency

your name brushed past my lips
plastering a conspicuous grin
"you, you, you," I chanted as I
drenched in brine, sweat, and tears

it wasn't me, it's you

your friends whispered that it was me,
given how disarrayed my psyche was
your ex declared that it was me,
as if I dwelled in a separate universe or so it was
you convinced yourself that it was me,
weighed down by how burdensome I was

but not a soul has ever pointed out
as I grappled with my demons, you were mum
as I deliberated, yet you shunned
as I recuperated, you refrained

despite that,
I surrendered the amusement to you
because as I'm composing this,
you are submerged in the depths of epiphany
that not once was it me,
but endlessly been you