Blue Fire

Electric people burn,
     Blue flame surrounds them.
They are the burning bush
     Which spake to Moses.

Are we tempted by brilliance?
     Must we suck, moaning, the taboo?
The kindergartner plays with matches;
     We pray that Nimue is with him.

If there were no fangs in the forest,
     Would the path be worth the walking?
If we were never eaten,
     Could we call ourselves shamans?

Ah,
But here’s the place that aches:
If it were only myself which could hurt,
There would be no need to be risk adverse.
But what if I became some dark terrible god,
Proudly sticking hurts in unseen, tender places?

(A voice responds)

     You can trust yourself:
          You are lovely.
     But, more, you must trust all others.
     Everyone is a god, a witch, a power beyond reckoning
     To fear for their fragility is simply condescending.
     Banish that white-guy head-trip,
     And get on with your dance with power.

Ave Mari
Blue sea shimmering in flames
I am the receptacle of fire
Let it burn in me