She is the refrain
Before the resolution
Tension laden and captivating
The movement upon which the symphony hangs
Soft was her connotation
resolve flowed in her veins

Poor stranger
child ignorant to flame
dances near coals provoking
a woman whose mettle is tempered by pain

I do not speak of resilience
An act temporary and elastic
The word itself, weary, aged rubber band

She is formidable.

Granite peak carved by glacier
A sobering encounter
As if to remind one the question is not whether the mountain will sustain them
But rather if their feet will serve to summit
The trail, dusted by bee-laden flowers
As if only to reinforce that
honey is the sweet transmutation of competence.