Creature Speak

As the Camp Fire continues to burn in Northern California, the San Francisco greater Bay Area is dramatically effected by Unhealthy Air Quality levels, which is effecting some of our health, especially those in sensitive groups, like myself. Many local poets are writing about this to deal with their experiences, and I am no exception. This poem was written first thing in the morning while processing high levels of anxiety from coughing all night and struggling to breathe. Also, we all miss going outside.

The Tower

Who stays
in a sinking ship
for love,
but a lover
not set free
by their love
for the other,
or by their lover,
themselves?

Who falls
slowly asleep
in suffocation
from nearby fires-
barely contained,
for the sake
of attachment
and connection?

And if I wait
for a tidal wave
instead,
it’ll be too late
for this house
on the water.
Will I go
down for love?

Do I value
my own life enough
to leave them
in their choices,
even if it means
I have to
watch them burn
from afar?

What love
is greater, then?
Love for myself,
or love for another?
Love for my mission:
to share my gifts
before the world
dissolves?

How close
do the monsters
have to get
before I heed
the warnings,
even if my lover
will not listen
to the roars?

Breathing is
hard, and thinking.
But I can hear,
so please,
Spirits, speak;
Share the best
path forward
for all!

Make me
an instrument,
undeniable.
Fortify me like
a lighthouse
shining in
the fog to
show the way.

Talk to him.

Copyright © 2018 Sheyorah Aossi
All rights reserved