“Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.”
– “Fire and Ice”
by Robert Frost
Ice consumes my very soul;
This bitterness inside is terrifyingly cold.
It’s hard to unfold how I can heal whole again.
Maybe I need something to melt my heart,
Like Fire instead.
But I see Fire’s destruction, far greater than mine:
Anger burns other people and sabotages from the outside.
Anger rages at others in colorful flames,
But my bitterness, like Ice, hurts no one else but me—
Destructing the very person I set out to be.
It makes me numb.
I can’t feel what’s good or bad for me with the hurt kept inside,
Dividing my time— Time I wouldn’t want back,
Even if I could get it, there’s no use…
Like my time is measured by the slack on my own hangman’s noose.
The bitterness feels just like it, just like death.
I do it to myself.
These feelings hurt, as I realize
I’m so holding so tightly onto things that shouldn’t measure my worth.
Maybe it’s time I leave behind my pride,
Consult hateful Fire. Ask him why—
Why he rather would burn others than keep it inside?
Why ruin others when you could hurt yourself?
I guess that’s why left to our own devices,
Both me and Fire cause destruction that suffices
A world where people are left to choose
Between bitter, lonely Ice and hateful, angry Fire.
Neither is ideal, I’ve come to know,
From burned-out desire or numb, tingling toes:
Leading with love and forgiveness aids the heart,
Healing broken wounds and twisting hateful ideologies apart.
It never should’ve been a choice between bitterness or anger—
Left to these devices, looking in the mirror, I’m my own stranger.
The choice I really had was needing to forgive,
Let the little things go and learn how to live—
Live without anger, fear, or pain.
This is how I’ll get back to myself again.
One thing is true of bitterness and hate,
Both with hurt you when you don’t realize their self-sabotaging traits.
Ded. Choosing forgiveness
