I am an alchemist.
I cannot turn lead into gold.
Nor can I make a philosopher’s stone
out of human souls.
I don’t have a heart made full metal –
not yet, at least.
And my last name is nothing close to Flamel.
I may not be history’s finest,
but nevertheless
I am an alchemist.
I’m an alchemist.
Because over the years I’ve unlocked the secret
of equivalent exchange.
You see, I can turn sorrow into strength.
I can build steel fortitude for my heart from pain
and from doubt.
I’ve learnt to water the seeds of my own self-hatred
and now, out of them, each time
I bear witness to the saplings of acceptance
that sprout.
I am an alchemist.
But I’ve never read the texts.
It was by pure trial and error
that I learnt the methods and the secrets.
You see, you pour your own heart and soul,
all your tears and sweat,
and without even realizing it,
before your very own eyes,
your strength, it begins to manifest.
