Holy ones we are stoking the fire of hope

   in an empire that feeds on our hopelessness

   and believes all fire must be destructive

   we believe in the rings of fire 

   that encircle every portal of transformation

 

Holy ones 

   we are the doulas of the future 

   the keepers of tomorrow’s fire

 

Empire rains down its violence on us

   and we tend our fires

   with no cover, with no protection from the wind

   no army, just grandparents and children 

   holding hands, all of time between their palms

 

Holy ones the prayers keep changing

   protect the harmed, and heal the hearts of the harmful

   our jewish siblings are unbraiding their lineage from a harmful spell

   but aren’t we all caught in these harmful fear-based shapes

   we stand in solidarity as we burn away our pain 

   as we burn away our trauma

   and any limitations on our love

 

Holy ones we have prayed, we have wept

   we have sat vigil all night as bombs 

   purchased with our labor fell on our beloveds 

   we have gone hungry, we have gone on strike

   we boycott, we too slowly divest

   we have called, we have written letters

   we have appealed to the law at every level of 

   local, federal and global society

 

we have disrupted traffic and boat routes –

Holy ones 

   thank you the fire of each person who has taken an action 

   thank you for the sparks in those yet to act 

   already knowing their bodies want to be used in this way

 

We have encamped!

Holy ones

   thank you for the fire of these students!

   for what they spark in us

   we see the divinity in their smiles and

   songs and dances and sustaining and libraries and sacrifice

   everyone in your own way send your warmth and gratitude 

   share your fire with our action warriors

   share your fire with our baby warriors

   share your fire with our teacher warriors

 

Holy ones remind us that we are always fire

   even when we face the cold shoulder of ‘leaders’ who ignore and defy us

   who are on orders from entities that don’t trust life

   who act unstoppable and almost make us believe them

 

Holy ones give us patience

   for those who call for patience

   patience cannot precede peace

   peace cannot precede justice

 

Holy ones remind us the fire is within and between us

   share this fire:

   we deserve a shared earth

   bring attention to life

   even in the form of grief

 

Holy ones when it feels unbearable

   remind us, somewhere there waits a seed that only opens in the fire

   and the future lives within it

   and each of us is that seed 

   and each of us is that fire