Teach me, flame, as you depart,
the grace of letting go,
the way you burn without remorse
and hushed when your hour ends.
The fire that danced through all my years
now trembles on its final breath,
and I, who fed it with my fears,
watch gentle as it courts its death.
Show me how to yield like this,
to darkness without shame,
the way the coals settles down
content to lose its name.
The log that crackles, splits, and falls
holds no complaint against the dark.
The coals know the silence call,
and goes without a final spark.
I have feared endings all my life,
the way they sweep the cluttered ground
but teach me now to set them free,
to ask for nothing more.
Grant me the wisdom that you hold,
the peace of what has passed,
to sit beside this dying warmth
and bless it as it fades at last.
About the Creator
Tim Carmichael
Tim is an Appalachian poet and cookbook author. He writes about rural life, family, and the places he grew up around. His poetry and essays have appeared in Bloodroot and Coal Dust, his latest book.
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Comments (3)
Nicely done Tim. Rhyming is very natural and the poem is enhanced by it. "Content to lose its name." Powerful. Nice work.
Absolutely beautiful work, Tim, and a bit of a pick-me-up read. Fearing endings highly resonates, and I am slowly learning the art of letting go. I am two weeks post-op knee surgery and not in the best headspace right now, as my injury was more complicated than initially suspected by medical professionals. Instinctively, I knew, but it took me getting a lawyer to make anyone listen. Your poem brings me some peace, and I am thankful. Best of luck in this challenge! I hope to see this one among the winners.😊
I love this. It captures the quiet beauty of acceptance so well.