Trial After Fire

Some say
               "trial by fire"
                                   a weary cliche
But much more vibrant
                                   in first person
The sting of the flame
                                   suffocates

But most fail to acknowledge
         the true test

             after
              the
              fire

Once all is built back up and tucked in place
the broken glass swept away
the sooty surfaces wiped clean

             then the pressure mounts
                        to be
                        okay

Then those things that don't have mass or form
                 are eaten away
                                         by flame

But one that is cold and invisible
One that licks the wounds
nobody cares to see