burning is a beautiful song

On the importance of seasonal burning to cleanse and heal

Willow is an environmental scientist, artist, storyteller, and biophile. When not writing for environmental non-profits or teaching art, they make music in the forest with field recordings, plants, and fungi. To learn more about their work, see www.willowgatewood.com or find them on Instagram, @willowg_music.

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i will burn the new year 

along with the wildflower field  
we sowed last spring: ash amends 
the ground and they say january’s  
an apocalypse  

                                        — a word for uncovering 

and fire is undoing. 
flames undress the earth. the 
field will unbecome itself to 
become again.  

i will unbecome  
the self  
we made last fall 
because i am apocalypse  
and burning  
is a beautiful song.

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