red

Pound after pound,

Tar spills

from mouths

that learned tar and not words.

Tar turns

to fire or molten steel.

Pound after pound

sags on its target,

muck and muddy.

It hardens with layers

and time,

pound after pound,

until revelations

crack the steel

Unearth and crumble

with hammer and chisel,

sculpting

a bird of red licks

ready to fly through

fire

And

molten steel.