The Fire I Was Baptized Poem by Ojeikpo Elijah

The flames licked my skin,
Burning, consuming, within,
As I stood in the fire,
I was baptized, my desire.
A purification,
A divine manifestation,
My old self engulfed in heat,
The fire, my new life, complete.
The crackle and roar,
Fueled by my inner core,
Cleansed of all my past sins,
A new beginning, it begins.
The heat, it seared and scorched,
My soul, it searched and searched,
For a sense of belonging,
In this fiery baptism, so strong.
The flames danced in delight,
As I surrendered, without fight,
The fire, my ultimate test,
Purging the bad, leaving the best.
In the ashes, I arose,
My new self, now exposed,
The fire, it had transformed me,
A new person, I now see.
I am reborn, with a fiery heart,
Ready to make a brand new start,
The flame, my symbol of strength,
A reminder, of my baptismal length.
For I was baptized in fire,
A purification, my soul's desire,
And in this syllablic verse,
My rebirth, I forever rehearse.