I still am a novice at fire,
as it reminds me, morning and evening,
demanding my humble attentiveness,
first in the building
and then in the watching
what the first flicker will do

I look for the rushing of flames,
the roaring of yellow filling the firebox,
I look for the holes where it falters,
I seek to provide what it needs

As reward, I’m provided
with myriad metaphors
curling and licking,
warming my thought —
fire within takes on a new meaning,
lighting my day with its art.

©Wendy Mulhern
November 15, 2019