Becoming

bəˈkəmiNG

my ultimate fate

my ultimate fate 
is to participate in 
my own genesis

it takes a stiff wind 
to heat a cold blast furnace 
to incandescence

we stretched out our hands 
and in our eyes were all the 
words we could not speak

the genius of fire 
transforms every obstacle 
into nourishment

i associate
with those whose presence makes a
better man of me

life may be a stage 
but fate will decide whether 
tragic or comic

the coals at my feet 
burn less indignantly than 
the fear in my eyes

unfamiliar stars 
align my bow across an 
esoteric shore

i traded these chains 
for a walking stick and a 
pocket full of sand

if i want to raise 
a new life from old ashes 
i must burn this one