Fire & Tide

I am tired in places rest does not touch,
A tiresome soul that has carried so much

There is a rage inside me—burning, unfree—
A fire, I learned was not safe to be

And there is a sadness, as wide as the sea,
Deep blue waters living in me

I stand between them, fire and tide,
Two ancient storms I cannot divide

The fire says—speak, the fire says—rise,
The fire says—don’t you dare soften your eyes

And then the water replies—

Grieve what you lost, and all that you knew,
Mourn what was taken, lay rest to all that never grew

I listen…and listen…until breaking in two,
For both of them spoke, and both hold the truth

I am not whole, I am not still—
I am the meeting place of pain and strong will

Not rest, nor sleep can quiet this sound—
This life’s divided between what’s lost and what’s found

Living in between all that should have been…
And all that I have learned to survive within