This is my poem “Limit Break”, which was inspired by the video game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, which I briefly replayed earlier this year when I was in one of my mental health funks & starting to unpack some stuff.

The game tells the story of Roxas, a young boy and nonexistent being known as a Nobody. Roxas works for the mysterious group known as Organization XIII in order to gain the heart he needs to become whole. As the days go by, he befriends two Organization members named Axel and Roxas while starting to question his true purpose. It is a meditative, compelling, and tragic story of identity and friendship and my favorite Kingdom Hearts storyline. Some years back, I even wrote an essay for Strange Horizons magazine on the bonds between the lead characters.

“Limit Break” was partly inspired by Roxas’ limit break ability, specifically the one he gets upon losing Xion and gaining the ability to Duel Wield near the end of the game. I liked the idea of Roxas gaining this powerful ability after experiencing immense emotional pain. To see him push through that and do his best to keep fighting despite the odds being against him was inspirational to me.

Another source of inspiration would be the song “Hold On To You” by the musician and YouTuber NateWantsToBattle. The song is directly inspired by Roxas, Axel, and Xion’s story and there is even a great AMV that adds visuals depicting it.

“Limit Break” would be the first poem I wrote in three years & would be one of two video game poems professionally published at the gaming website Into The Spine.

I’m not into Kingdom Hearts as much as I used to be, but Roxas and his story will always have a special place in my heart. This poem would mark my new beginning as a poet. Writing it & getting it published was one of the best things to happen to me this year.

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to buy me a Ko-fi.