Staring Into the Fire

I sit and stare into the fire,

Watching flickering flames

That dance among the charred remains.

Windows to my thoughts are pulled

By figures prancing there

Within the soaring vapors

That burst in vibrant colors,

Red, orange, yellow and blue,

Still not consumed.

A tiny stream of gray and black

Rises over all,

Escaping scents to draw the nose

Of passing life downwind

Pausing in fear of conflagration

To cleanse before renewal.

I'm drawn by some primeval force

To reach out, warming

Hands and toes that need not

Yet are pulled to feed

With broken limbs the cresting waves

Of shifting light as evening sets

And darkness creeps from every side

Until only glowing embers

Release their tiny sparks to die.