The Last Fire
I watched the fire tremble at the edge of night,
its red tongue licking the air, then shrinking back,
a shadow of warmth folding into the cold,
I held my breath as if it could return.
The sparks rose like tiny ghosts,
hovering, fragile, refusing to disappear,
each one a memory caught between light and ash,
the silence stretched wider than the dark.
I traced the shape of the flames with my eyes,
how they curved and bowed before the inevitable,
how they drank the air hungrily,
then sighed, exhausted, and let it go.
The logs had given all they had,
their edges blackened, their hearts hollowed,
I felt the ache of surrender in the smoke,
the slow retreat of warmth into the night.
I thought of what remains when fire ends,
the faint scent of burnt wood in my hair,
the embers glowing like soft, stubborn hearts,
the promise that even endings hold a spark.
A single flame lingered, trembling alone,
its light a whisper against the heavy dark,
I realized endings are not silent,
they are the careful folding of all that burns.
The night drew its shadows closer,
the fire finally let me see,
that even as it fades, it leaves something behind,
a glow in the mind, a fire in memory, a hand in mine.
when the last flicker vanished,
I did not feel the cold as loss,
I felt the space for something new,
the quiet invitation to begin again.
About the Creator
Marie381Uk
I've been writing poetry since the age of fourteen. With pen in hand, I wander through realms unseen. The pen holds power; ink reveals hidden thoughts. A poet may speak truth or weave a tale. You decide. Let pen and ink capture your mind❤️
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More stories from Marie381Uk and writers in Poets and other communities.
Standing While Falling
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTHa day ago in Critique
Comments (4)
Hi Marie! A year ago you liked my story Exodus Part Two and subscribed, so first of all, please let me thank you belatedly for that! I've been in China for two years, if you can believe it, where Vocal is blocked. I read your praise yesterday night on a lovely rail replacement coach coming up from Milton Keynes to Northampton! So obviously I wanted to learn more about you in turn, and Raise Your Voice steered me to this poem of yours, which I loved. I see that other members such as my good friend Mariann have already told you what they liked, and I do agree the poem is a persuasive look at the highs and lows, and the contrasts of life. Loss and destruction can also bring revelation and new beginnings, and we really feel that in your poem. The sustained metaphor of fire is emphasised beautifully by your lyrical descriptive language. However, may I now be the first to also make note of just how sensual the whole piece is? This, I must say, was more striking to me even than the philosophical component. Especially around the middle of the poem, I rather felt this glowed from the words, if you'll allow me a fire pun of my own! "They drank the air hungrily, then sighed and let it go" was breathtaking for a reader too, and the "ache of surrender" felt like an experience with which we're all familiar. Other points which made me think along these lines of sensation and consummation were "the embers glowing like soft, stubborn hearts," the lingering smell of wood-smoke in the hair, and (above all) that "slow retreat of warmth into the night" which frankly had me saying "Wow!" So many thanks, Marie, not only for your kind words on my work, but also for this superb poetry tonight! Very nice to meet you!
Really nice talking about yin and Yang
What an excellent poem describing the ups and downs of living life. Good job.
Great imageries in this poem !Bravo!