what we gained after the fire

what we gained after the fire

third year srija sengupta

When a tree falls, and nobody’s around

We wonder if it ever really made a sound

A forest fire’s more upsetting, blazing hot and red

… Strangely, no one notices if it’s in your head

Smoke in the breeze, the ash of the wreckage

Should have cleaned up, guess you missed the message

The deer and mice have fled, you should’ve gone too

The time to run is gone though, now you must regrow anew

No one saw the burning tree fall, no one heard you scream

No one saw you build up again brick by broken dream

Grass sprung up underfoot, saplings reached for the sun

The bones are still brittle, but the healing’s just begun

The rain comes whispering down, you hear yourself sing

Water in your palms, you see your heartlines sparkling

You dance in foxhole puddles, feet slipping in the mud

Even in the crashing thunder, sunlight swims in your blood

There’s no more smoke, no more ash in the dirt

Your forest floor’s green again, growing over all the hurt

You watch them come back, the dear friends, the nice thoughts

You remember that nature flourishes even through the ruin and the rot

No one saw the burning tree fall, no one heard you scream

No one saw you build up again brick by broken dream

Your brain burnt out, spinning in ash and despair

But life is merciful, and so you grow, and so you repair