Who am I? Who are we? Does the mirror reflect who we really are? This is an episode full of questions. We constantly search for ourselves, and, simultaneously, we hide our true selves from the rest of the world afraid of being judged for being different.

What's Memento Mori Lab?

Memento Mori Lab is our permission slip to experiment, try new things, and keep bringing ideas to life. In my case, that means writing mediocre poetry, some stories and scripts, doodling, and recording this podcast. Memento Mori reminds us, we are going to die. Whatever creative endeavor you've been postponing, now is the time to take action.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere you get your podcasts!

Instagram: @memento.mori.lab 

Twitter: @mementomorilab 

Poems

The mirror

Held up high and from afar, a fogged mirror reflects me.

Will my reflection ever be clear?
No one around to see all my angles and doubts.
The blurred, blinded eyes can't see past assumptions.
The mirror bears expectations, stories, deceptions.
But no reality, I'm afraid.

A closer look reveals nothing but perceptions.

A change in angle opens paper-thin perspectives.
A living, looking glass of imagined non-fiction narratives.
Not to be seen are the images others search in me.
Is this a broken mirror if the reality reflected is never accurate?
The pieces tightly placed together by unfounded beliefs
Show me nothing but flaws, fears, wishes, and ideas,
Mistakes and corrections, ideals, and imperfections.

I got so many questions to ask my reflection,

This isn't Snow White. I stand in front of myself unanswered.
Until the mirror cracks.
The beliefs reflected crumble under query
And the shards of glass end up scattered across the floor.
Shattered reflections - still, no reality anywhere near.

I'm the only one left to clean up the mess

Of my fragmented past cracking under my feet.
Fabricated, its edges can still cut my flesh
Sharpened throughout years of delusion,
How can I avoid bleeding into awakening?

-

Why do we do what we do?

Why do you choose the beliefs you choose?

Why do you chase the way you do?
Why sleep the way you sleep?
Why speak the way you speak?

Why do we weigh the bodies we weigh?

Why do we worship the way we do?
Why feel the way we feel?
Why fear the way we fear?

Why do they think the thoughts they think?

Why do they thrash the way they do?
Why hate the way they hate?
Why help the way they help?

Why do I loathe the feelings I loathe?

Why do I love the way I do?
Why disguise the way I disguise?
Why dismiss the way I dismiss?

When did you learn to judge?

When did we learn to dread?
When did they learn to fight?
When did I learn to hide?

What is it that you see?

Without the lenses of your convictions.
Why do you see what you see?
Why don't you see everything else?

Take off the layers of learned beliefs,

Forget all fabricated assumptions
And look far beyond the mirror.
What is it that you see?

-

Poem: Herself