dedicated to people in Los Angeles suffering from the fires…
Dear fire
I want you to know that many people are afraid of you in this moment
They are losing their homes, their lives, everything
They look at you, even a flicker of you and you terrorize them.
They hate you.
Honestly, look what you’ve done
Fucker, ravaging like an angry beast
Like a raving lunatic, devouring everything in your path!
No-one is safe from your destruction
You’re never satisfied, we cannot appease you
Just attempt to calm you
Yet you’re so powerful, it takes an army to control you
The trauma vortex narrows
The smell of smoke, the fire in a chimney, a candle in a home
Provokes the trauma held in our bodies
Look what you’ve done
Would you mind If I speak a moment?
This is not all my fault you know.
It’s not about me, it’s about you.
I exist, I have always existed
I saved man from starvation
I cleaned the forests, I purified the earth
I helped create new life
I was the pre-act before the re-birth of new forests
I am the cleanser, I am the destroyer, I am the transformer.
Shamans knew this, native Americans knew this
All the ancient populations knew my power
They honored it, we worked together
We held a sacred bond.
They prayed to me, they called on me
They danced around me
They knew my power and they knew my nature
They let me run free in the understories of forest
Cleaning the pathways of dry brush
They gave me space
My space was in the wild
Not stuck up against your houses slowly spreading like a disease
I am part of the natural world
I have a role here that every part of nature understands
Except you
Yeah but we’re not in the stone ages now.
We have electricity, we have over population
We have to live somewhere
This is getting out of hand
Innocent people are losing lives
Losing homes
Terrorized to sleep at night
It’s horrifying
I get your role but I just can’t see how it fits in today.
You know, not to pull out the ecology role on you
But here…
From my limited knowledge, sounds like you’ve been destroying my sister
Earth.
Sounds like she can’t absorb your needed rain anymore
Sounds like the cycles aren’t happening
Didn’t you go to science class
Don’t you remember how rain works?
Where are you going to gather the humidity from concrete to create rain?
Where are you going to absorb the rain water and let it feed moist soil?
If you kill all the microbes, they won’t create tunnels and soft soil
If all you have is desecrated hard land and run off heading to the ocean
If you just have dry barren soil, you don’t have anything to absorb moisture
Duh.
I know you think you know all this stuff
But look at it, where do you think climate change is from?
Cars?
How about your every day lifestyle of consuming food from desecrated ag lands?
How about your insistence for more and more?
Causing depletion of mines and robbing of “natural resources”
Or as WE say “natural gifts” that we give for free
Until you put a price on them
Who’s fault is it?
You guys honestly are the fuckers with your idea that you can exist without us
We are the main foundation of this planet
And you literally think that all of life and the billions of living beings that are non-human
Are just designed to serve you
Well yeah, I luckily get to be the voice of a pissed off planet
So yeah, sorry about your pretty home.
What about ours?
Silence.
I’m gathering my thoughts.
You know, it’s hard for me to hear you right now.
I’m in a lot of grief and I feel like you’re just criticizing me
You don’t even care how I feel in all this.
You didn’t even ask me how I’m doing.
SIlence.
Ok, how are you?
I’m a fucking mess.
I can’t sleep at night.
I keep having flashes of horrible flames.
I keep seeing people running.
I feel my heart still pounding out of my chest.
I was afraid to lose my children.
My dog is gone, I have no idea where he is.
I can’t even go back to my place.
I have no home anymore.
Will insurance pay? I have no idea.
I spent years building a life that’s all gone now.
How am I?
I’m destroyed.
I think that was your main mission in life right?
Well, good job you have succeeded.
Mediator:
Ok thank you Fire and thank you Sherri for sharing.
Sherri, I’m hearing a mix of emotions. I want to deeply acknowledge your grief. It sounds like you were terrified and are still dealing and will continue to deal with the repercussions. It sounds like you are feeling deep connection, compassion and great sorrow also for everyone else in a similar situation. I’m also hearing anger and distrust of fire, maybe even a sense of injustice. The smell or sight of fire puts your system in a re-traumatization which feels terribly uncomfortable and you would really like more understanding and compassion from others around you?
Fire, I’m also recognizing that perhaps you’re feeling a little misunderstood? Perhaps you’d like som more appreciation, respect and understanding about your role in the eco system. Perhaps you’re craving more balance and freedom tone able to express yourself in a way that doesn’t harm others. I’m hearing that you’re missing the relationship you used to have with humans and would like to have more cooperation. You’re also frustrated and angry and feeling defensive of your sister, earth and really desire for everyone to have more mutual recognition and balance?
Did I get that right? Is there anything I’m missing?
How do you both propose we move forward from here?