So I return to this comment because you said something here I found fascinating and it put me on a trajectory all throughout the week: lyricism. So much so that I ended up buying a book as soon as I saw, which was Game Poems by Jordan Magnuson, which describes game design as lyrical practice. I've just started it and so far feel like I have had multiple game design epiphanies around the conversations I was attempting to touch on in this prototype, largely around the value of lusory attitude and openness within players to experience new concepts through play! It honestly feels like something in the back of my mind I've been gnawing on for the past decade clicked into place.
I highly suggest it! It's available for free online as a pdf as well. Thank you so much for describing the project that way, it has been a wonderful week of thinking about game design again :D