The Dragon to My Phoenix
Some soulmates
do not meet in childhood,
do not recognize each other
on playgrounds
or in borrowed dance shoes.
Some arrive later—
after the shaping.
After each has walked
a necessary road alone.
We chose this incarnation together,
you and I,
but not side by side.
Each of us given
different lessons,
different fires,
different truths to claim.
You learned endurance,
the patience of stone and scale.
I learned surrender,
how to burn and rise again.
We lived whole lives
before we ever spoke—
gathering stories,
losing illusions,
becoming strong enough
to be seen.
And when we finally met,
there was no thunder.
No shock.
Only knowing.
A quiet certainty
that did not need proof.
As if our souls nodded
and said,
Yes. There you are.
Not to complete me.
Not to save you.
But to walk beside.
You, the dragon—
grounded, watchful, fierce in truth.
I, the phoenix—
forged in fire,
unafraid of transformation.
Different paths.
Same vow.
We did not stumble into each other.
We arrived—
right on time.
Soul sisters are not accidents.
They are agreements
kept across lifetimes.
And I know now
why it took so long:
we needed to become
who we are
before we could recognize
what we’ve always been.
Dedication
For Barbara—
my soul sister, the dragon to my phoenix.
We did not meet by accident, nor by haste.
We met when we were ready to recognize what our souls already knew.
Thank you for walking beside me in this lifetime—
for your steadiness, your fire, your truth,
and for choosing this journey together.
I am grateful, always, that we found each other right on time.
Offer whatever name you wish to be known by at the hearth today — real or imagined — we look forward to welcoming your words into the circle.