Have you forgotten? The Iron The Fire The hammer and anvil of it all The pile of **** and scrap metal The dirt ore heap in the corner of your soul The useless heavy burden On your shoulders, and in the heart of you
Have you forgotten the forging and the beating The sweating and the bleeding The swing and the crash, And the pain and the smash; The heat from the fires that purify And the hiss from the waters that solidify Have you missed the bending and folding and the way that you're constantly molding?
Have you forgotten You are the hammer You are the anvil You are the iron and the forge fire That creates the steel of your character The sharp sweeping sword of your soul For no one else can change you Except for you
So slam the hammer down! Swing it without flinching Tense yourself, your muscles your nerves and sinews Grit your teeth and clench your jaw Grip the metal like a white knuckled vice of certainty Focus on the spot and Slam the Hammer Down! Beat it into something useful Beat if into something beautiful Beat it with meaning for it is meaningful! Did you forget that!
No, You did not forget You dreamed of throwing it off, You dreamed of being rid of it You hoped to wake one day And find that it had melted away
But
“You cannot dream yourself into a character: you must hammer and forge yourself into one.” ― Henry David Thoreau