Skin Ticket

I agree with the latter part of KILLogS bit about it being people in general trying to be something but in the end they die and become zero with nothing accomplished apart from a wasted life. The line: "Come see my cage - built in my grain" - (the turning point) He is inviting us to see what is trapping him - his cage - and adds that it is built in 'his' grain...grain maybe symbolising the small part - his life in relevance to the world. He is trying to show us how not to be zero. A ticket from him to a higher understanding. He sees himself as too far gone to be recovered. He’s sees himself as a martyr, suffering by living a condemned life, and eventually becoming zero, while teaching us what he has learned to try and show us what matters in life - and not to waste it.

The other rather enigmatic lines, I think mean something too: Minus the inside and minus the circle Inhabit the riddle and fill in the hovel This may mean that a circle is nothing without the inside, maybe being an analogy to society - the inside being us. Then goes on to say ‘ inhabit the riddle and fill in the hovel’ - since being able to inhabit the riddle is obviously abstract maybe he is using a type of alliteration to contrast the impossible nature to what he is trying to achieve - condemning us once again to zero. I mean maybe he is saying inhabit the hovel and fill in the riddle - hinting that the way to escape zero is to go back to primitive nature - be animals once again and then, maybe you’ll see what life is really about - being able to solve the riddle. This is escaping society - linked to the circle metaphor.

Then he talks about himself being a martyr again….a saint and says: "Keeping myself alive... through your EMPATHY" This could mean that we have to keep his spirit alive - not to forget him once he is dead - so his life wouldn’t have meant ‘zero’ - his life wasn’t to waste - because he has achieved something - helped his maggots in seeing straight.