No.
I am not asking
for any mercy.
I pray no gods
grant me rest.
No.
I am not waiting
for your forgiveness,
to tell me at last
I am only myself
once again.
No.
Redemption
will find me still
where I am.
About the Author: Jacob Friesenhahn is the author of the poetry collection The Prayer of the Mantis (Kelsay Books, 2025). This poem appears on page 36 of The Prayer of the Mantis.