“Before the Flame”

Don’t wait to feel the fire’s heat

Before you build a wall,

Don’t wait until the storm rolls in

To brace against the squall.

A stitch in time, the saying goes,

Can save a world of pain—

A simple truth we overlook

Till consequences reign.

The seed you water every day

Becomes the tree you need,

But if you wait for drought to strike,

You’ll find it hard to feed.

Prevention isn’t weakness—

It’s wisdom clothed in grace,

It’s seeing where the cracks may form

And fortifying that place.

It’s the pause before the chaos,

The care before the cost,

The path we choose to walk upon

So fewer lives are lost.

So don’t just fix what’s broken—

Protect what’s whole and true.

The hero’s heart prepares ahead—

And that begins with you.