Fire is weak. It needs Earth to burn, air to grow, and water kills it. Fire and passion are synonymous. Neither steady or practical or reliable, they burn and then they burn out—they do not fade. Yet I am born of fire. I burn, intensely, deeply, PASSIONATELY; when the flame burns out it is instant. I am either out of breath, seeking air, left alone seeking the Eartly thing I had clung to, or I am calm as the ocean, knowing I am the most powerful thing on Earth. Water is calm. Water is powerful. Nothing stops water. It cannot die, and wouldn’t you be calm if you were invincible? In the cold it freezes, in heat it evaporates into the air; it is never gone. It tore through mountains and continues to threaten the change of entire climates on our homely speck of dust, Earth. Yes, water is most powerful indeed. Water reminds fire that it is not invincible; that calm is also strong.

However, I relate most to fire. Passion is everything and nothing. Without it, I would be serene, but what value does serenity hold? I want to burn for my experiences, for my life, for my choices and for people. I burn for the people I love and when they turn, the flame cools. Fire needs every element to grow. Love is the same. Take away one and you’re left with nothing. A pile of charred earth maybe, and the smell of smoke. Love burns. And I burn for the people I love. Friends have scoffed at my consistent yearn for love and for touch. But what is wrong with knowing deep down and with a full heart that I NEED love? That the heat that’s inside me feeds off the fire of another. That this is something I undeniably cannot live without. I will continue to love and burn until there is no fire left in me. This will signal the death of my soul.

It takes four elements to create a soul. But I am fire. I will always admire and fear the power of water. At the ocean’s edge is where I am free. Insignificant. All thoughts extinguished next to a vast pool of unimaginable power and unfathomable diversity. On top of a mountain I breathe deeply and admire Earthly beauty. But I am fire. I will always admire the other elements, but I will not deny myself what I am. I NEED Earth, Wind and Water. Without these I am unbalanced. My body and heart need balance, but I, I need passion in its wildest form. I will never give up the fire within me. I am wild. And I will never stop giving away my love and my passion. For when fire meets fire, the world is set ablaze. An unstoppable, powerful blaze that intensifies before it simmers. You may cool it down, but it will never fade. Until one flame is snuffed. When their fire burns out you are left on your own, feeling the cold weight of indifference. Fear not, young one, I will say, for your fire needs only a new host, a new family of elements to balance it. You will find it again and again if you keep looking. And passion never gives up. It burns.