Once upon a time

There was a beautiful lady.

She was full of wonderful potential

And striking ideals

She had hope and despair

Holding one in either hand.

She was jaded by the world,

Hurt and broken

But alive.

Its oceans battered her on the unrelenting rocks

Its peoples crushed her on high tide on the cliffs

She barely recognized her survival as a blessing.

Rather, it provided new opportunity for suffering.

She was cut open, bleeding on the floor

Begging for relief

And but a trickle came in response.

Her pleas were filled with anguish

A poignant elegance

That few could understand

And that most never bothered to try.

She carved her own survival with words.

She poured her soul onto paper

As broken as it was

And instead of being unfinished and incomprehensible

It refracted into prisms of light

Illustrating every hue of darkness and hope

She translated it to a new nature,

A new beginning.

She was shattered, but in shattering

Became whole.

In her new wholeness,

Shared a different sort of beauty with the world.

And breathed hope into lost faces.

Thank you.