A Peace Fire's Vigil
Updated: Jul 18
Category: Wish for the World
Holding Space for the Forest’s Heartbeat and the Green to Come
The ancient canopy, a cathedral of green,
Now stands in the ash of what has been.
This soil is sacred, a covenant of old,
Where the roots of the mother still tightly hold.
Every cedar and pine, every moss-covered stone,
Carried a heartbeat, a breath of its own.
We weep for the four-legged, the winged, and the small,
Who fled through the smoke as the giants did fall.
To the spirits of creatures who perished in flight,
We offer this flame in the quiet of night.
Not a fire of fury, of hunger, or pain,
But a beacon of peace till the green comes again.
From the soot of the valley, the wild rose will rise,
Stretching its petals to clear, open skies.
We honor the fallen, we promise to stand,
As guardians, healers, and kin to the land.
Let the peace fire burn, let its soft embers glow,
To soothe the wild earth and the waters below.
Beyond A Peace Fire’s Vigil: Reflections on Canadian Wildfire Poetry
May we carry the truth that a forest is never merely a collection of trees. It is the first chorus of birdsong breaking through the dawn, the ancient pathways carved by generations of wild kin, and a anctuary of small lives unseen.
As flames reshape sacred Canadian land, may we hold in our hearts the people displaced, the wildfire searching for refuge, the firefighters standing in courage, and every living thing touched by loss.
May we never forget that the earth beneath our feet is a sacred relative to whom we belong. We do not own this ground; we are sustained by it.
In shared grief and enduring hope, we pray for the healing of the soil, for the mercy of rain, and for the return of peace.
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Written by Eartha Lowe
Eartha Lowe is a writer and founder of Her Roots By Nature (HRBN), a storytelling platform dedicated to capturing community-rooted narratives through reflective interviews and cultural storytelling.
Based in Ontario, Canada.
Website: herrootsbynature.ca
