blacken your heart, dear
take those cold ashes
from the hearth, flames dead
like a field mouse in winter
blacken your heart, dear
mix the soot with tears
remember every slight
every gaze that passed over you
blacken your heart, dear
swallow that thick paste
wash it down with past shame
and feel it settle in your stomach
blacken your heart, dear
let that darkness spread
but remember this–not every
piece of coal becomes a diamond
Words and Feathers 