arquious
Thank you, Clara Mae. Your attention to the Volta especially means a lot. That pivot is where the poem’s pressure changes, and I’m glad it carried the sense of release and clarity you found in it.

Again, I am grateful to you for taking the time to sit with the piece so closely. Your response honours the poem. 🙏🕊️
2026-07-24

Clara Mae Gregory
Besides having a great title-
Your short poem just resonates with a masterful use of metaphor! I can intensely feel the pain locked within the strong emotions the wording evokes-- balancing between the flight [of ambition] and the sky [of a vast indifferet society] and the withdrawal [alluding to a failure or abandonment].

The dynamic strength is in the wisdom revealed by the ultimate acceptance found in the the turn (Volta): The transition at "Now, grounded / not by grief, but grace" is without a doubt, the poem's strongest point. It hints of forgiveness and shifts the tone from "victim" to one who found peace and self-acceptance despite the adversities endured. The burn marks resonate a visceral conclusion implying that the wounds of survival the writer experienced, permanently shaped them for the better without becoming bitter.
It reveals strength born from weakness.

This poem is excellent.
2026-07-24