Nothing is harder than something melting;
Rivulets score the underlying ice,
And flesh that tops the skeleton sweltering
Ripples with heat; and under earth’s no svelte thing
But iron core’s implacable device.
Even iron is subject to convection;
Ultimate solidity fails in its purpose;
Love flows superfluous over inertia’s
Finely abrasive face of affection,
Hardness stricken by a tepid surface.