Leaving the Shore Behind

Slowly, we turn back to the life we have left behind, looking back at that far shore that disappears into the mists of memory. There is nothing left there for us now. All the ties of family and place have gone. There is no home there for us now.

Those fires that destroyed everything we had, may have been put out by the winter rains and snows; but something, some memory, of what has been lost, still smoulders deep within us. We will kindle and care for those small sparks of memory and loss, ready for them to burst back into fires of retribution, revenge and justice when we need them.

That distant shore is no longer our home, but we stand together, side by side, watching the sea mists swallowing it, knowing that one day we will return and other, brighter, fires will scorch that land. We will return, strong and proud, and the fires we will bring to that land will be the fires of justice.

We know we cannot put it right, we know the fires we shall bring will not burn the past back into being. We know that fire can destroy, as it destroyed our lives. We also know, though, that fire can cleanse, fire can purge. Fire can bring new beginnings like the bird that rises newborn from the flames.