My core may seem

Tired

The flame dimly lit

My eyes may be glazed with

A heaviness that will not lift

And yet

I am also

A firebird

And yet

I am also a child of this Earth

You can

Force me to surrender

But I remain

A little defiant

I used to fight back

I forgot the art of war

In adherence to well trodden rules

I bent into something lost

But I am not

Broken

It is my nature to dissolve

When four rivers convene

It is in the terror I see

What must be done

For when we wish most to end

So we have

Begun

And it is time to take that journey

To light

The far tower

That it be bright enough

To bring back

All that was

Whole