Here I Am a Fortress

Ere I am a fortress
Heavy were my days; sleep wore my nights;
Toil was my bane; but stone was my will

O my allies in blood and in spirit—
Together we roam the brimming glades!
But on my own I face the wailing winds
Of languor, so here I am a fortress

Fashioned from the surrounding land
I stand against the winds
Here strength I summon and travel inward;
I see into the earth
Its ore I gather, and smelt out in the depths
Of this fortress mine
So when we gather, then I emerge
And I bear for you shimmering ore
Among the rocks did I lay; among the roots did I slumber;
In the earth did I sleep; I was devoured by the sun

I was washed into the sea; I became naught but purpose;
But then I rose and strong I stood
Against the weight I chose to carry

A fortress I am and here I stand
Fashioned I am from this land

Life is not simply to breathe
Nor to break back for others’ intents
Life is to grow, to struggle free
To assert one’s own unique existence
A fortress of stone is what I am
Fashioned I am from this land
First crumbled down, down
Indiscernible from Earth