Advice To A Burning Phoenix

going inward is protest, too

Glow.
That is all you need to do now. 

The rest will be handled 
by oxygen, heat
and chemistry.

You simply need to glow 
with the intensity
of the sun you are becoming.

You will collapse on your own.
You will find rebirth without trying.
You will transform because there is nothing else you can do

Do not try so hard.

Breathe.
Let the oxygen 
do its work to engulf you 
in flame.

Relax.
You do not have to try so hard
to reach your destiny.

It is destiny’s
job to come to you. 

Care 
for the parts of you 
that are hurting.

Let the rest take care of itself.

---

From my unpublished book of poetry, Advice to a Burning Phoenix: Poetic Advice on Harnessing Chaos for Liberation.

Photo credit Photo by Michael Held on Unsplash