The darkness does not scare me. My brokenness never will. Because when I look up to the black, I realize shattered glass still glimmers. Heat will rise in passion’s haste to feel what burns within. No matter the shadows I’ve embraced, I will always glow against that dark. That dark that coal cannot burn. That dark that makes onyx crack. That dark that unstitches shadows seams. That dark that entreats only me to break and be consumed. But my heart is like that orb–that glimmering pearl in an obsidian sea. My fingers feel the pulsing waves that ripple when sadness wakes. I feel the fear of drowning deep in that midnight monsoon. But I also feel the scorching light that makes ardent my immortal self. Fractured is the spirit’s shell that sheds its light within. My soul is the collection of stars that burn across the universe. Scattered, broken, and toiled it may seem, but a vital force can find its way no matter where it lays. Wherever you are and however you feel, always remember: glass still glimmers even when it’s broken and stars still shine lightyears after they perish. 

-Kiran Bains