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The Bird on Fire [A Poem]

The Bird on Fire [A Poem]

Last updated on: March 2, 2024 at 1:54 am by Keith Giles

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The Bird on Fire [A Poem] 2024-03-02T01:54:12+00:00 Keith Giles

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IMAGE: Keith Giles [MidJourney]

This is where we found him

The bird on fire

Wings ablaze among the leaves

Flying between the daylight and the dawn of another day

This is where he lay down to die

Where he folded his wings in the dark

And said “enough”

This is where we let him lie alone

Undisturbed and growing cold

Wisps of smoke and steam rising from his wings

Like unanswered question marks

Circling and dancing

Disappearing in the shadows

We stood silent

Afraid to speak

Unsure of ourselves

The words unspoken in our mouths

Dying on our tongues

This is where the darkness fell

And this is where our sadness grew

Are we so powerless

to stop the dying of the light?

Will the sunlight always fade into darkness?

Or will there be another dawn?

Will the daylight break anew

when our hopes rise again?

And now we stand here in our circle

We spread our fingers outward

Fingers searching

Like an unspoken question

We touch, we grasp

We receive our handful

Of quiet hope

We hold tight

We become one

We know we are not alone

In this moment we become the circle

And the swaying begins, filled with

Colors that strobe behind our eyes,

We remember.

We believe.

Waiting now

This is where he breathed his last.

This is where his last words

Were whispered in the dark

And this is where our voices

Finish the sentence

Find another verse

Carry on the song

Knowing everything

Is movement

And everything

Goes on.

[Dedicated to Aaron Bushnell] 2/25/2024

Keith Giles

**
While I wrote this poem above the same day Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire to protest the genocide in Gaza, I must confess I did not know it had happened at the time I sat down to write this. It was only later, after someone read it on my Facebook page and mentioned the similarities to what happened that day in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C., that I realized the images and thoughts had some accidental relevancy. Nevertheless, I share this poem in memory of his great sacrifice and pray that his act of courage is not in vain.

Free Palestine.

Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.” He hosts the Second Cup with Keith podcast, and co-hosts the Apostates Anonymous podcast, and the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast.

His latest book, Second Cup with Keith is available now on Amazon HERE>

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