::prairie burn::
Burning prairie is What the ancestors feared Frantically beating the flames with water-soaked sacks Digging trenches in hardened earth Desperately trying to save their lives and livelihoods Now the prairie burns with purpose It burns to create new life Blackened land with Twisted branches and stumpy remains Of brush and plants Seemingly tell a despairing story Yet the tale has just begun Scorched soil absorbs sunlight Warmth stimulating plants to grow Green shooting up through the black Birds gather for the feast of insects The burning is rhythmic To keep out unwanted invasive plants Cleaning up and clearing out Restoring nutrients and resetting cycles Native plants know how to survive Their roots go deep When fire sweeps over us Do our roots hold us steady? Are we used to the rhythms of purging that bring new life? How are we strengthened for the next growing season? The fire gives and the fire takes away Blessed be the burning of the prairie Written for the May 2024 Pentecost RezA