First

Edifice crumbles
That once thought inviolable
Exposed as mythic and thus ultimately human
As we are human
Stories of horrors and of heroes
Arise from within
And we must choose as whom we will live

Weak strands are fraying
But the weaving goes on
Heart to heart
Hearth to hearth
Our roots run deeper
Reaching out to share nurturance
Our branches higher
Weaving community
Weaving shelter

What virtues do I choose
As I go forth into the kind of world where we treat kindness as a weapon
In Whose name does my fire burn
To what work do I dedicate my hands
Questions answered only in the living of them
And perhaps the dying

I will not be a cypher on my own pages
Ragged though my voice may be
and weary
Forged and forger
I can but embody these truths