Below Conflagration

“When the fire had consumed the whole church, the people despaired that the most precious relic of the Virgin had been lost. But after three days, the canons who had taken refuge in the crypt with the holy tunic emerged unharmed, bringing forth the relic untouched by flame.”

---from the Chronicle of the Counts of Anjou, a late 12th century contemporary account describing the 1194 fire that destroyed Chartres Cathedral.

When your breath is the air of charcoal and ashes.

When sawtooth flames splinter your world into red-edged pieces.

When you discover every wall of certainty is eventually combustible.

Release yourself to hidden safety.

Go deeper into ground you already know.

Carry the future inside unsteady, trembling hands.

Descend through wisdom that is ancient and foundational.

Disrupt a narrative that everything must collapse.

Rattle the cauldron doors, and emerge.