Phoebe the Phoenix

Phoebe the Phoenix wasn't feeling too great
For she'd hit a plateau, and she felt it too late
To rescue herself from a lifetime of gloom
In frigid-cold darkness, she thought she was doomed
To be trapped for the rest of her long phoenix life,
Though she wished to escape from this most crippling strife.

At a thousand years young, she was still a spring chicken,
But she felt her internal clock rapidly tickin'.
Her feathers, once crimson and scarlet, had faded.
And her outlook on life was disgruntled and jaded,
As she witnessed her friends in their plumage so bright,
Her own heart was heavy with shame, doubt and fright.

She feared she'd look stupid, with her bright-feathered friends,
So she'd sit all alone in her house, and pretend
That she was okay with this hell she'd inflicted
On herself, with self-pity, to which she was addicted.
For Phoebe to join them, her friends begged and pleaded
But compassion, not wheedling, was what Phoebe needed.
And although Phoebe knew that her buddies meant well,
Their insistence just drew her back into her shell.

"Oh, Phyllis, oh, Phinnaeus, what do you know?
'Bout being dingy and drab, while my friends are aglow,
With feathers of bright red, and silver, and gold,
I may just be a thousand, but I feel I'm so old!
My life has just started, but it seems like its ending,
I'm so miserable, and there's no use pretending!
I don't want to be trapped in this prison of fear!"
And then all of a sudden, Phoebe burst into tears.

Now, don't you lose hope, at this heart-breaking scene,
'Cause frustrated phoenixes weep kerosene!
But still, for this fire of change to ignite,
That frustrated young phoenix must put up a fight!
For, it does one no good to just sit on one's rear,
And wallow in pungent black kerosene tears.
To transform one's life, one must really desire,
To change, and improve. One must toil and perspire.
And although Phoebe's task appeared gruellingly daunting,
The thought of NOT changing herself was more haunting.

So Phoebe decided, right then and right there,
That although she was nervous, and doubtful, and scared,
To start her life over, she'd move heaven and earth,
For, a good honest effort, she felt she was worth.
As her thinking cleared up, her soul 'came unclouded,
With the negative thoughts with which she had been shrouded,
The defeatist mentality melted away,
Because Phoebe no longer allowed it to stay!

As this mindset prevailed, Phoebe got more excited,
At her power to change, and that day, she ignited!
Her rust-coloured feathers of drab, lifeless brown,
Were soon singed into ashes, replaced with a crown,
Of brilliant feathers, atop Phoebe's head,
And magnificent wings of bright fiery red,
Accented with highlights of silver and gold,
Phoebe looked at herself, and no longer felt old.
She called up her phoenix friends, told them the news,
And exclaimed, "I can now do whatever I choose!
I'm no longer self-conscious, the whole world is mine,
Let's go paint the town red, and make up for lost time!"

So the now-reformed Phoebe soon learned to take chances,
And began going out to clubs, parties and dances.
For the new, happy Phoebe was a radiant sight,
And Phil, the boy phoenix, saw her in a new light.
Phoebe loved her new life, which she had created,
And her only regret was, she'd dithered and waited.
But she knew in her heart that it's never too late,
To rescue oneself from the harrowing fate
Of self-hatred, which siphons its victims' souls dry,
So of course, in the process, it's okay to cry,
And although those few tears may resemble destruction,
They can ultimately bring about reconstruction.

'Tis a difficult journey, the road of self-healing,
Which is riddled with bumps, that evoke many feelings.
Of potholes, and pitfalls, but if you persist,
You'll be able to reclaim the time that you missed.
Forget about "stupid," just think about living,
Never be paralyzed by your doubts and misgivings.
A tear and a promise can light up a flame
That can transform your life, so it's never the same.
As for Phoebe? Why, she's still contented as ever,
For she left her regrets in the ashes forever.