underneath this steel hides
a tissue heart that is mine—
fragile at the slightest touch.
I surrender my paper heart
to the raging fire,
each fragile piece consumed.
slowly, from these ashes,
a fire rises—a phoenix,
scorching my heart with
molten hatred that numbs.
and so, my once-dead heart,
delicate and frail,
hardens into steel—
a heart that is
unyielding and unbroken.