The Crucible

A poem about strength in fire

Image: Mathieu Odin via Unsplash+

This poem was written for the Dragons & Butterflies Poetry Challenge · Hosted by Vision2Verse & Verdant Butterfly

Please enjoy…

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There was a moment
When I thought it was over
Everything I’d worked for
Stripped down to the core. 

Everything we built
burned all around me. 
The fires licked my skin.
Beckoning me to join my kin.

I tried my best, I really did
but you didn’t care. 
You’d rather run 
Then seek the sun. 

Our garden was rotten.
Resentment grew like vines.
Choking all that love.
Or lack thereof. 

You left me broken. 
I fell into that empty house.
A home became a tomb. 
Grief painted every room. 

It was then, in that crushing dark
that I glimpsed my own soul.
My reflection stares back at me.
Pain and trauma are all I see. 

This was the crucible.
The place where broken souls
are reforged and rebuilt.
Making peace with all that guilt. 

The flames burned bright,
devouring all past time. 
Turning memories to ash.
Ten years, gone in a flash.

And when it was done
I expected to leave.
Collect my things
and leave on angel’s wings. 

I didn’t give up, though. 
A fallen, broken soul 
got back up and then
took hold of a page and a pen. 

I wrote about every scar.
Took back my power. 
While you drifted farther
I found safe harbor.

With every story 
I found a piece of myself.
Filling the cracks with gold.
The story reframed and retold. 

You wouldn’t recognize me now
and that's by design. 
The Crucible tested me 
And now, I’m finally free. 

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Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing

Listen to this after reading. Like pairing a glass of wine with dinner.