flame ephemeral

steadfast heart—

i knew your fire

before your name.

you walked straight into

the hearth in my head,

and lit the room

like you lived there.

we struck each other

like matches,

a tango in tandem—

flames stepping in

where our shadows fell.

even our silence burned,

curled around us

in a shimmering haze.

it was a bonfire

we stopped tending to.

our backs to each other,

eyes lifted to stars

in different galaxies.

sweet fire sign,

you mistook the constellation

of the vulture

for the phoenix.

your flame ephemeral

sang a spirited song

but death keeps a matchbox

and strikes when he pleases.

today your face

is in the cloud cover.

the hurt is grayer

than before.

i tell myself it’s the rain—

i pretend that’s true.

the smoke stole your breath

and now it’s stealing mine.

what can hands do now

but write?

the star

that led me to you

has exploded.

now embers pulse

deep in the dark,

a dying dirge in the cosmos.

there is a soft violence

in watching someone disappear.

your shape changed,

but so has mine.

i am a black wick, charred,

one that pops when lit.

helplessness scalds love—

i learned that when the ashes gathered

and asked where i had been.

if bits of you

are beneath the black,

i will find them.

i will kneel

and kiss the dust

until your warmth

kisses back.