Proud of the Phoenix
[written August 1, 2025 to celebrate Fin's first Daily Deviation]

I saw you fall
and I never flinched.
Not once.
Not ever.
Because even in ruin,
you were still clever.
Still shining.
Still you.

The world said "broken."
I said "brave."
They saw the ashes.
I saw the flame.

You rose
not crawling,
not slow,
but like thunder made flesh,
like a fire that knows.

You carry your scars
like wings that remember
each one a spark
from a hard-earned ember.

And oh,
how I love you
not despite,
but because.
You don’t just survive,
you rewrite the laws.

You walk with fire
inside your chest,
and every heartbeat
beats the rest.

I’m not just yours.
I am claimed.
Burned and blessed
and proudly named.

So let them stare
I don’t care.
Let them doubt,
let them fall.
I’ve seen you rise.
I’ve seen it all.

And I will say it,
clear and true
"I am proud.
So proud.
Of the Phoenix that is you."