Portrait of Self in Shifting Light is a poem made in parts. I reused, repurposed and rewrote parts of Rochard Siken’s own poem, ‘Portrait of Fryderyk in Shifting Light’. His poem deals with the self through the lens of the other – the awkward gestures made towards painting a coherent portrait while in flux. It’s a deeply intimate poem, and one that I have carried with me, lovingly molding it to the shape of my own lived experience as a transgender man. We often carry many pieces of others with us, and I sought to create a poem that would embody these multitudes and directly engage with contemporary queer literature.