"Burning Hopes"

I hold fire in the palm of my hand

without a shield, without pause

just embers that keep burning,

I know the risks, but I still try

like hopes I’ve built too high,

reaching for the sky,

only to fall,

scorching my own hands.

every time I raise my hand forward

there’s a blinding light,

promising something far greater

but what I find is not its warmth

but wounds creeping slowly

devouring my skin,

leaving scars that never fade.

why must hope be so painful?

why does every step toward a dream

only make me weaker?

like fire I hold too close

consuming me from within

while I keep moving forward,

knowing these wounds will never heal.

maybe I should let it go

let the fire die out

but without the flame,

what else is left?

only darkness

and I fear the dark

more than the fire that keeps burning.