Space and Air and Time

of all the Universal Laws 

of Nature and Nurture

like Quantum Physics

and Thermodynamics

one Law has been revealed 

to me and through me

throughout my life's Journey:

i suck at igniting

and maintaining fires.

i simply see wood

and some version of kindling

and believe that merely

by stacking it up and lighting it up

it should burst into a Pillar of Flame

but all i've piled up just seems to suck up

whatever little lumens of warming Light

that may have happened to spuriously appear

and then i fret and i fear 

of yet again becoming a killer of flame

so i furiously prod and painstakingly poke

and gently blow upon the smoke

in hopes that something will magically spark

and illumine the space so sullen and stark

or wish i could douse the logs in kerosene 

to create an inferno raging at levels obscene

(or at least unseen before)

but then i shame my Self 

by remembering that humans 

from all generations have discovered

the venerations required 

to create the Magic

without resorting to tactics 

artificial and desperately tragic

until one Day

when Something stirs 

some kind of feeling

in my cranial nerves

which serves as a catalyst

for Divine Revealing

of the Reality

that Fire simply 

needs Space 

and Air

and Time

in order 

to breathe 

and breed

its Warmth 

and Light

so i subtly 

shifted the logs

to allow more Air

to flow through

while they still

leaned on each other

and then i simply

left them alone

in the wood stove

trusting that they knew 

what to do

and lo and behold

when i returned

what was smoldering

was now scintillating

like a Spirit set free 

as the Wind

(by the Wind)

to be its Gloriously Gorgeous 

and Radiant Self

it didn't need

my desperate doting

or frantic fixing

in order to ignite

and burn bright

it simply 

needed Space

and Air

and Time

and once 

i simply

SAT there 

and let it Be

it gave Warmth 

and shined Light

for all to see

and whether it came about

by deeper Listening 

or greater Luck

i'm thankful for the Grace

to know that while 

i may struggle with Fire

i don't actually suck

and while i watch the tinder burn

in contemplative consideration 

of Burning Sensations 

and Beloved Relations

there emerges once again

a poignant lesson to learn...

in order to 

let It Grow

and Glow

one needs to

let It Go.

Thank You.

#410wordprayers #Lent2023