UNBURNED FORM DECLARES ITSELF

This piece declared itself through the language of permanence — woodcut, because what's carved can't be uncarved, much like what's minted can't be unminted. The wild hair became lightning, the mask became defiance, the top hat became a crown of choice worn by someone who chose to stay exactly as they began. It's a manifesto in negative space: every line I didn't burn away is a line I chose to keep.