Give me the courage to speak,

The confidence to act,

The wisdom to understand,

The hope that can lift my heart of stone and ice.

Thaw it.

Break it

Pry it open.

Rid the waste that has tainted it.

Let it flow rivers of gold again.

But sometimes a hardened heart isn’t so bad.

It cannot bleed,

It cannot shatter.

It will protect me from my suffering.

It will make me stronger.

Even if that requires becoming a bit more bitter.