Maybe in my younger years

I spent too much time

setting myself aflame to give others warmth

Or maybe it is just my nature to fuel others’ dreams

But I am the coal in the engine of my life

burning

Always Burning

I was today year old when I learned

Diamonds are one carbon atom away from coal

Pressed into beauty

Blazed into brilliance

Could the pressure of illness and caretaking

Could the weight of my grief

Crush me into something valuable

From ash to gem

A diamond from the rough