When our bodies retire, we put them to rest in the soils beneath our feet. Forests of bodies smothered in dirt, decay, and rot. Trees rooted in death become the air we breathe; cut down for our comfort.
We splash our ink across their pages, like blood stains on soil. Stories embedded in veins pour through intertwining roots; weaving through binded pages, and binded wounds.
Permanent words permeate skin; protection from impending wars.
Books served as temporary sanctuary from the turmoil outside; their edges tattered and worn like the armor that guarded my flesh. Words inhaled, forged into weapons. Words exhaled, fastened into endless futures.
It wasn’t long before you sent your soldiers to tear down my haven; the earth rattled as they marched in my direction.
Remnants of fallen trees lie broken like soldiers fallen in battle; another casualty.
A father shouldn’t be the first man to break his daughter’s heart; nor should a king destroy his own kingdom to prove his power. But power doesn’t come to those pure of heart, and the heart you carried inside your chest was as barren as the lands you ruled.
The world around me was up in flames, and as my lungs filled with ash, my breathing faltered. I could feel the foundations crack as your men dragged my mother away; the only evidence was that which you forged.
Smoke outlined your silhouette, and your grin grew with the destruction. You were born in chaos, and that’s where you thrive, but you may have forgotten, I was Battle Born, and you taught me how to survive.
The pages once pure, now coated with ink. Letters and lines, sunken in, like scars on skin. Pain is deeply rooted in all of us. Its growth transcends distance and difference. We carve pain into fragile paper and fragile skin.
The experience we endure is cataloged for those who follow. We must endure pain, to learn from it. We wrap ourselves in the pages of every story we see ourselves in, of the characters we could become.
We all fight in the unwinnable war: the war of time. Though death conquers all in the end, foliage forms from bodies buried. We lace our legacies with the roots of stories left behind. We forge paper swords from the memories that cut our paper skin. We use them to defend ourselves from paper worlds and paper kings. We suit up, paper shield in hand.
This is so powerful - the writing is so lyrical & has such metaphorical meaning! Loved this! 💕
I wish nobody would have to experience this kind of pain. Danielle’s words made my heart ache for me and everyone who is going through this and I hope that when they read this, it makes them feel stronger and understood. It’s important to know that we are not alone in this world and we don’t have to fight all of our battles just by ourselves.
”We forge paper swords from the memories that cut our paper skin. We use them to defend ourselves from paper worlds and paper kings. We suit up, paper shield in hand.”
Together we can forge those swords and defeat the paper kings that invade and threaten our kingdoms. As long as we don’t love hope and keep fighting.
I cannot describe how moving this was to me. You have so much talent Danielle.
I am so proud of you. You deserve all the stars you set yourself out to reach.
Every word and every sentence in this piece is dripping with emotion, symbolism, and rich imagery. The sentiment here is beautiful but in a haunted and pained way, and those feelings are directly transposed to the reader, if only for a moment. The message, wonderfully conveyed, is one of the most important messages of all: that through personal strength of character and through the escape and support of written words and worlds we can emerge on the other end of trauma and tribulation. Stories transport us to other worlds, and we see ourselves in our favorite characters, and we learn from them how to overcome the obstacles we share, and how to be more like the characters and heroes we aspire towards. That's why it's important that people with personal, powerful stories share them with the rest of the world. And if the person sharing the story is as talented and unique as the level of skill demonstrated here, something truly special has emerged, and if an audience is reached I think Danielle's words can help others in the same way the written word seems to have helped her.
This is one of those pieces of writing that sticks with you. I read it for the first time a few days ago and I keep going back to it and rereading it. It is beautifully written. Danielle's choice of words and storytelling capability is truly something else. I can't wait to read what she comes up with next ❤
wow 😮 this was poetically beautiful! Your vocabulary is exquisite! It was like reading a JRR Tolkien novel! Danielle, you have a gift, I hope you’re writing a book - because it would be a hell of a good
one! 👏
loved every bit of it!! This is so amazing! “But power doesn’t come to those pure of heart, and the heart you carried inside your chest was as barren as the lands you ruled.” 😍
WOW. Thats all I feel like I can say right now. This was beautiful and really spoke to me. I especially liked this line, “We wrap ourselves in the pages of every story we see ourselves in, of the characters we could become.“
The fierceness and fire you can feel from reading these woven words it truly Goddess magic. They say if you want something said, have a man say it. But if you want something done, ask a woman. The time has come to have women speak and do for themselves, which is what Danielle transcends to me through her writings.
This is beautiful. Wow. So much power in these words. Amazing job Danielle xx.
Reading this as a different individual, a different person, and not the author who experienced this work of art, is mind-turning. I don't know the journey as well as Danielle, but I sure as hell can say I've felt this, been through this sort of pain and emotion which is welcoming. Nothing is more bonding than story, and Battle Born exemplifies that.