She began to sift

through the ashes

left behind

in the smoldering

destruction

of her perceptions…

She neither rushed nor

faltered

from the heat that

blistered

her fingertips

as she carefully saved

every lesson

she needed to become

whole…

The pieces of her

that she saved

were at times so small

that she wondered

if they held

any value in

the weight of them…

But she persevered

in the face of

much distress

and as her fragments

grew in number

they began

to seek each other,

an alchemy of sorts

and when she finally

gathered

every sliver worth

saving,

she held

in her hands

a heart much larger

and more beautiful than

the one she had

to offer

before.