i will not deny
my scars nor will i
erase my past pains
i shall clutch
them tightly to
my mechanical heart
as i exhale steam
into the light of
today’s struggles
steadily moving
ever forward against
the tide of sorrow

my crystal lattice
bends against the
tectonic surges in
agonized acquiescence
a malformed soul
twisting in the winds
to clang a dirge of
beatings and betrayals
yet always shining
a tepid nonsurrender
in a dissolution of
malicious disdain