Mine trauma like coal. Be a pitman: tunnel
as a naked mole rat; scamper to those inky-
beds pickaxe in hand. What can you offer
if not that black diamond? Excavate by feel,
your past an immense swamp-forest of ferns,
reeds, and mosses—marvel at what has died
and fallen in; cull debris from this thick layer
of rot, and bear it to the surface. Light it:
rake and rake the coals, until everyone sees.