Ember's Inheritance

At first,

its shelter,

a circle of orange,

or red, or yellow,

or blue.

It’s where

hands come together,

palms open over

the roaring flames,

seeking its warmth.

*

It hums,

and pulses

like a heartbeat,

soft and steady,

sometimes not,

but always holding

the darkness at bay.

*

Then,

it shifts,

logs cracking,

burning away

into a source of

light for those who

need it.

*

Sparks rise,

entering the sky

like silent prayers.

*

The flames

teach us how

to change, like

it does: from wood,

to ember, to the ashes

in the atmosphere.

*

And hunger

is written in its

nature. It devours

what it loves,

consumes the gift

it is given, and

can cause destruction

upon those who sought

out its warmth.

*

Finally,

only ashes remain,

leaving behind its

final silent words;

once, I was warmth,

then transformation,

then destruction,

and now, your memory.

*

In the silence

that comes after

the last flame dies,

we carry its warmth,

an inheritance of embers

that will burn again,

somewhere,

on another night.