It’s hard to conjure up a forest fire My flames are quiet and I tremble I flinch I buckle at the knees My fight or flight senses were birds in their past lives I am sorry I was not born Achilles, marching into every war with certainty, never knowing a sliver of doubt Prophecies of greatness do not cling to me like summer air I open my mouth and words betray me, for I am no Odysseus with his honey tongue But heed this promise: I will create something one day A great many somethings, born not from innate divinity but perseverance Like Daedalus with his artist’s mind, craftsman’s hand, quiet thinking, deliberate talking I am becoming Like golden witch Circe in Aeaea, feeling her way through strange new grounds Someday, someday, somewhere else You will see me bloom