Fire

When it all started, there was fire.

It harkened my name and

Beckoned my call.

I knew by its embers, I knew withal

But what it nourishes me with,

And what it provided with its flames,

The warmth, the breath, the hold.

It burned its lights into my soul.

I knew it by its ways, its fears and woes,

I helped it ignite, survive, recall,

I cherished it deeply, with time and frame.

I called it my own, and it knew me by name.

The fire harkens back to me,

It wisps past my gaze,

It burns sorrow, bright morrow.

I weep for it, wet, the same.

-“On the transition towards full online practice.” (Last day in clinic: July 26th 2024)