Are You on Fire?

 
Self Portrait
 
It doesn't interest me if there is one God
Or many gods.
I want to know if you belong -- or feel abandoned;
If you know despair
Or can see it in others.
I want to know
If you are prepared to live in the world
With its harsh need to change you;
If you can look back with firm eyes
Saying "this is where I stand."
I want to know if you know how to melt
Into that fierce heat of living
Falling toward the center of your longing.
I want to know if you are willing
To live day by day
With the consequence of love
And the bitter unwanted passion
Of your sure defeat.
I have been told
In that fierce embrace
Even the gods
Speak of God.

~ David Whyte ~

It does not matter to me if
You believe in God.
No, not anymore.
What matters is whether
You're on fire
With your beliefs,
And the relief such a fire would bring
To your soul;
Whether it has burned away all your impurities
And all you have left is love
In your heart.

It does not matter whether
You continue loving me,
But whether your love
Has changed you and me
For the better.

Roberto Wissai