Sixty-Year Flame

丙午 — Bǐng Wǔ.
The forty-third combination
in a cycle older than borders.

Your grandfather might have been born
the last time this fire touched the earth.
1966. The world was different.
The zodiac was the same.

Fire on fire.
The element meeting itself
in the body of the animal
that never learned how to stand still.

There is a reason
the Chinese character for horse — 马 —
appears in more idioms
than almost any other creature.

马到成功 — upon the arrival of the horse,
success is secured.

万马奔腾 — ten thousand horses galloping,
a scene of great momentum.

龙马精神 — the spirit of the dragon-horse,
vigorous vitality that does not fade.

Some years whisper.
Some years ask permission.

The Fire Horse year
doesn't do either.
It walks through the door
and the room rearranges itself.

Every sixty years,
the universe reminds us
what urgency tastes like.

This is that year.
What will you do with it?

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— FrankX, February 2026