“There are not classes in life for beginners: right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult.” -Rainer Maria Rilke

We are born
Wet bodies
Falling to earth
Desperate and alone
Breathing air
Only for a moment
Before we are immersed
In the flames
Of trial and error
Stripped clean
Purged anew
Returned once more
To the earth
To the air
All that remains
Saturated and steaming
Flesh, apart from
All else
Not living
But neither dead
Simply being
Growing and shrinking
Rising and falling
Ashes to embers
Born first from dust
Born then to earth
Born breathing in air
But always to be
Born into fire

Three-Day Quote Challenge

I was recently nominated to participate in the three-day quote challenge by writingdreamwords of the blog Dream Words. Thank you for this nomination and the opportunity to stretch outside of my normal process and do something a bit different.

Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Post a quote for three days
3. Nominate three new bloggers each day

Nominees

I nominate the following bloggers to participate in the challenge:

• Lawrence Illoc of the blog Being bipolar. Trying to break the stigma!
• Emergingfromthedarknight of the blog Emerging from the Dark Night.
• Blackbird of the blog Blackbird Wandering Thoughts.