My beauty was the sun

and I was told my eyes were wings of wax

and to have loved myself

was to have hurt myself

 

I had feared fire for my entire life

flying low, drowning in a sea

furthest from the flames

of my own reflection

 

The words of others

had transferred onto filtered photos

casting a shadow

believing I was not beautiful in my rawest mold

 

I had to melt myself over

to learn that my light cannot scathe me

and flames can be used to heal

the wounds of insecurity

 

That wax will harden again

and even broken flight will triumph

over drowning without ever seeing

the radiance of the one called self

 

So I continue to fly high

free from plummet

for no light could scorch

my animal body