Reading · Habibi Means Beloved

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Containing the Fire
When a wildfire flares, one of the first things
firefighters do is build a perimeter around it.
That way, it will not grow. Sure, an ember may
leap and feast on whatever meets its hunger.
Sure, it may take a while before the whole
burning forest simmers down. And yes, much
will be lost. But the forest regrows, in due time.
This is how it is with shame. This is how it is
with any large flaming emotion. Any incident
that whooshes through you, loud and roaring.
Do not desperately throw whatever you can
at it: a bottle, a pill, an itching addiction,
a plea for correction. Instead, clear anything
that feeds it, strip down each moment to its
bare patient breath, gather the large stones
of your grief and build a circle. In time,
the shame will settle. In time, that stubborn
seed inside you will break open. And one day,
after the whole of you regrows confident and
verdant, you’ll look back in gratefulness for
what once cleared you through to grace.
- Moudi Sbeity

It’s curious how poems arrive. I was watching an interview with firefighters, and so learned of this fact about creating a perimeter to contain it. Later in the day, while talking a friend through heartbreak and shame, I shared what I’d learned about wildfires as a kind of encouragement to let these emotions run their course in a contained environment without desperate attempts to put it out. The poem practically wrote itself after that. Talking about what I’m learning is one thing I find helpful in addition to journaling about them, a way to process and integrate learned information and experience. Thank you universe, God, muse, for another metaphor. Gratitude for all firefighters keeping us safe, and prayers for rain.

📚 Join me on August 15th from 10 - 12 MDT for a Book Tour Workshop / Fundraiser. I’ll be reading from my forthcoming books, offering prompts, and then opening up space to share. Sign up here: https://habibialhamdulillah.eventbrite.com

📘 Both books are now available for pre-order
Habibi Means Beloved (memoir)
Alhamdulillah Anway (poetry)

🌱 Sept 8 - Book conversation with ZenJen Brown at 4pm ET. Register here - free.

Containing the Fire

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