The Most Flammable

The Inquisition burned the scientist
to prove their God.
Then they burned God
to prove their science.

They burned those who said:
It is not the sun that circles us—
it is we
who must turn toward the light.

But listen:

What burns—
what burns the most—
is not flesh, nor paper, nor wood.

It is our urge
to outshine
the shine itself.

We burn to be right.
We burn to be seen.
We burn the very light—
just to make
our shadow grow.

The most flammable thing in this world
is the human need
to eclipse
what was already luminous.