Out of the Ashes: Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?

The faceless coward is no more. May all those who lost their lives or even continue to suffer find peace.

Out of the Ashes

In childhood, I was the butterfly
Brightly colored, joyous, energetic
I flitted from here to there, helter-skelter
Content to be on the move, happy to be loved.
Hues were vibrant, sounds beyond all description.
The little bird, chirping merrily,
Never caring whether I was on key or not.
I was the butterfly.

Later, a blow came.
The butterfly lost its wings. The joy left the world.
The light went out, almost, but never quite.
It kept going.
I became the firefly then, a creature of the evening.
The light was faint, sometimes going out,
But always returning, never dying.
Hope was faint, but it never left.

And today? What am I today?
Today I became the phoenix.
The layers of pain became a prison that could not hold me.
The flames renewed, restored the joy.
The journey has been long, but today the flight,
The sky is worth it all.
Bitterness, pain, resentment, I suddenly realize
Have led me to today.

Today, I became the phoenix.

--Katie Johnson

Phoenix Poems, Quotes, and Facts

"The phoenix, hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise."
--Miquel de Cervates Saavedra

So often,
we believe that we have come to a place
that is void of hope and void of possibilities,
only to find that it is the very hopelessness
that allows us to hit bottom,
give up our illusion of control,
turn it over, and ask for help.
Out of the ashes of our hopelessness
comes the fire of our hope.
--Anne Wilson Shaef

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”-Albert Schweitzer

"The Phoenix became popular in early Christian art, literature and Christian symbolism, as a symbol of Christ, and further, represented the resurrection, immortality, and the life-after-death of Jesus Christ."

Like the mighty phoenix,
Once again I rise from the flames set to destroy me
& take flight.
I am
Stronger
Glorious
Powerful
Victorious.
--Kirsti A. Dyer, MD, MS

"It's best to have failure happen early in life. It wakes up the phoenix bird in you so you rise from the ashes."
--Anne Baxter

"In Japan, as earlier in China, the mythical Phoenix was adopted as a symbol of the imperial household, particularily the empress. This mythical bird represents fire, the sun, justice, obedience, and fidelity."

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?

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