Poem: Kiss the Flame

[alee_grrl]

This poem was written for ashestosnow who poetree Climbing the Poet's Tree Challenges #13 over the summer. Zie was very patient in waiting for hir prize. Zie requested a poem on spiritual encounters with fire or trial by fire. Thank you for your patience!

Kiss the Flame

Fire
burn through
my troubled
soul. Cauterize
these old wounds, destroy
those pockets of poison
that have lingered for so long.
I stare across the burning coals
and envision the lies of my past
and the lost child I once was. Kiss the flame.

Benediction whispered, I stride across
glowing coals unhurried and without
hesitation, feet kissed by fire.
Reminded that I, my strength
my very self, was forged
within life's furnace.
I crossed the coals
found grace and
stoked soul's
fire.

Comments

[untonuggan]

\o/

Particularly good points: like the word "cauterize" and the way "kiss the flame" serves as the hinge of the poem. Also, the phrase "stoked soul's" is nicely put, too.

\o/

[alee_grrl]

Thank you!

[lynnoconnacht]

Oh, wow.

First, I would like to echo what untonuggan said. Those are particularly good points indeed. I especially like the use of 'cauterize' here. It's very powerful, even visceral, because of where it stands. For the first from moments before reading on, it reads like a command. Depending on how you experience the poem and read it, it can even read like it's a command to the soul. Just for the duration of a candle's flicker, you can read it like that.

I also like the alliteration you've got going on in the poem. ^_^ Thank you for sharing!

[alee_grrl]

Thank you for commenting! :)

Depending on how you experience the poem and read it, it can even read like it's a command to the soul. Just for the duration of a candle's flicker, you can read it like that.

I love this reading of it.