Take a soul, give it just enough love for it to grow,

Enough distance from the others, so it's always on its own,

Make it whole but only just enough to know,

The difference between being lonely and alone,

Stretch it thin as paper over skin and bone,

Leave hard as marble at the heart, at the core,

Make sure it remembers all the hurt that it has known,

Provide it with some love but leave it always wanting more,

Break it on the rocks that linger at the shore,

Drown it in the breaking waves that crash upon their edges,

Hold it 'neath the waters until it screams, "No more,"

Hang it over the abyss upon the narrow ledges,

Fill it full of fear, batter it with vitriol,

Hurt it beyond all known measure,

Laugh at its tears, tear at its material,

Make its misery your pleasure,

But for all these abuses that you find so amusing,

Know that in the end it will neither fear nor love you,

For by the strength it holds at its unbreakable core,

It will lift itself on high and stand above you.