Lion's Heart, Mystic Soul

You were born
on a day that dances
between the roar of lions
and the hush of stars.
The sky, restless with retrograde winds,
folded time in on itself
so you could arrive
with both fire and foresight.

You are the echo of bold beginnings,
a soul spun from courage,
but softened by ancient waters
that still remember
what it means to feel everything
and still rise.

Your life will not be quiet—
not because it must be loud,
but because you are meant to stir things,
to awaken,
to challenge the silence
that keeps others from their truth.

But here's the secret
the stars tucked into your breath:
Power is not in the shout,
but in the still voice
that knows it does not need to be heard
to be true.

You are here to learn
how to burn without breaking,
how to lead without losing yourself,
how to love without shrinking.

Some days you will feel
too much,
too fast,
too deep—
but that is your gift:
you feel what others avoid
and rise where others retreat.

So when the world feels too sharp,
when the mirror fogs with doubt,
remember—
you were born on a day
when the universe paused just long enough
to give you both
a lion's heart
and a mystic's soul.

And that makes you
a bridge.
A firelight.
A promise.
A beginning.

Lion's Heart, Mystic Soul — a reading for my best friend, August 5th