Author’s Note

I wrote Hot Coals for the men who’ve been told that strength is silence, and that showing emotion makes you weak. As someone who has carried fire inside themselves for a long time, I know firsthand how heavy it can be to hold anger and pain alone. Holding it like hot coals doesn’t make you stronger—it only burns you from within. Vulnerability is not weakness. It is courage. And letting yourself feel, fully, is the bravest thing you can do.

Hot Coals
Poetry by Rowan Evans

They tell you to clench your fists, hold tight—
Let the fire burn bright, don’t let in the light.
Anger, rage—your only currency,
The world’s measure of your masculinity.

But no one warned you of the burn,
The searing pain you never learn,
That holding anger like hot coals in hand
Scars the heart in ways you can’t withstand.

They say to stand tall, to never cry,
Keep your voice low, don’t ask why.
But the flames flicker and twist inside,
A storm of feelings you try to hide.

Each coal a bitter word unsaid,
A wound you carry in your head.
It singes, it smolders, beneath your skin,
A quiet battle you’ll never win.

Let go, I whisper, of this deadly fire—
There’s more to feel, more to aspire.
Rage will only leave you burned,
A lesson you’ve yet to learn.

There’s beauty in tears, in the gentle sigh,
In love’s soft touch and the freedom to cry.
To release the coals, let your heart unfold,
Is the bravest thing, not a story untold.

Feel the coolness of the rain on your face,
The warmth of peace, of a softer grace.
Embrace the spectrum, let it flow—
You’re not just a vessel for anger’s glow.

For holding on to fire won’t make you strong;
It only burns, and for far too long.
Set down the coals, let them fade to ash,
And rise from the flames, free at last.

If you’d like to explore more of my work, you can find it in The Library of Ashes.