Invocation of the Ashen Self

by Wednesdae Reim Ifrach

I.
Hear me, O silent moon,
as I tread the edge of my own undoing—
a pilgrim lost in the corridors of my blood.
I lay my past upon the altar of scorched earth,
bones stripped bare of memory,
their hollow whispers echoing through the night’s ribcage.

II.
A crucible of darkness calls my name,
its iron lips breathing smoke and longing.
I press my flesh into the cold kiss of flame,
feel each sinew unraveling like ancient scrolls
unwinding beneath a scholar’s trembling hand.
In this furnace of oblivion,
I relinquish every fear, every triumph,
the pale vestiges of who I thought myself to be.

III.
When flesh dissolves to ash, I understand
that death is a thread, not an end—
woven into the tapestry of the soul’s becoming.
From this blackened dust, a pulse rises,
soft as a newborn’s gasp yet fierce as a storm.
I lift my voice in a roar that shatters stars,
declaring rebirth upon the winds of midnight.

IV.
Now, in the cathedral of embers,
I stand transformed:
a witch crowned in smoke and ember-light,
her eyes twin fires kindled from her own ruin.
She carries the power of endings and beginnings,
a promise etched in ash and bone.
Let the world tremble at her passing,
for in her wake, the self is made whole again—
and the night trembles with new life.

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Wednesdae Reim Ifrach (they/them) is an art therapist, counselor, and scholar specializing in gender-affirming care, LGBTQ+ wellness, trauma-informed, and healing-centered practices. As a PhD candidate and full-time faculty member at Moravian University, they integrate poetry, visual art, ritual mapping, and mindfulness to create body-positive, client-centered spaces for individuals navigating eating disorders and body-image concerns. Their art-based scholarship includes projects with the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, and they developed an online body-image course.