splintered
t i m b e r
carefully
c o n f i g u r e d
igniting
l i f e
in a
v a c a n t
stone ring
p u r p o s e
given
to a
desolate
t r e e
anticipation
from the
w a r m t h
it will
bring
*strike*
s p l i n t e r s
s l o w l y
ignite
cool air
w a r m e d
by a
f i r e ’ s
light
^^^^^^^^^^
blazing
f l a m e s
dance
w i l d l y
consuming
arid
l u m b e r
spilling
essence
of a
l i f e
once lived
through
s t r i a t e d
grooves of
umber
downed
t r e e
surrenders
b l i s t e r e d
memories
of what
has
b e e n
through
s m o l d e r i n g
curling
s m o k e
tossed
e f f o r t l e s s l y
by the
w i n d
billowing
through
l i n e a g e
towering
the
c e r e m o n i a l
sphere
warming
f e e d i n g
altered
l i f e
released to
a l l
who
linger near
sacred
s m o k e
rises
p e r m e a t i n g
a
v e l v e t y
starlit
s k y
hallowed
e m b e r s
slowly
e x h a l i n g
whispers
of a
final
g o o d b y e
About the Creator
Kristen Balyeat
Words fly to me on the wind, bump into me as I'm strolling the city, splash me in the face while I rest by the river, and shake me awake in the middle of the night– I’m humbly one of the many vessels they use to come to life.
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First Starlight of Summer
Your whole being is constituted by yearning. You miss the stars but have never seen a fully-realized night sky sparkle to life before your eyes. You write things, funny but short but profound, emulating the archaic cosmos that turns by its own unknowable calculus emulating love in all its celestial glory turning in that same cryptic way, but fully know neither and hardly know both, and it feels disingenuous, so you write about writers. It feels vaguely masturbatory, but it’s funny but short but profound and it impresses the people around you enough, so you run with it forever until you can’t anymore.
By Steven Christopher McKnight3 days ago in Fiction
Comments (10)
"...purpose given to a desolate tree..." this is my favorite line from a poem made up of favorite moments. I love the way this line points out that special feeling we can earn for ourselves when we use death to bring something full-circle. Makes this human experience all the more rich. What a beautiful piece this is, Kristen. Feels like the warm amberglow of firelight on a friend's smiling face. Feels like a life, full-circle.
Kristen, this was beautiful and encapsulating. I really liked the formatting and vocabulary choices. your descriptive language was great for creating imagery in the readers mind, nicely done!
This was enchanting. Your descriptions were so fresh and satisfying. Love it.
Don't tell me you're a pyromaniac, too, Kristen? Mom always put me in charge of the fireplace when I was home. I could watch it burn for hours, from raging inferno to smoldering embers. I ended up watching "Camelot" for the first time over a Christmas break beginning at 3 a.m., all because I was still tending the fire until it burned itself out.
BEAUTIFUL. Honestly, I can't wait to see what you can create once we have even more formatting options available for poetry here!!
Purpose in a woody poem! I can't recall if I've mentioned this Kristen, but I really like how you manipulate fonts to emphasize your meaning and keep your ideas flowing smoothly. It's both clever and visually arresting. This one makes me want to light up a fire in broad daylight now! 🔥🌞😂
I don’t know how you do it! I could feel the warmth, hear the crackling, smell the smoke. I’m gonna have to echo Em’s comment that this is tangible. It engages all the senses. And it makes me think about the life cycle of a tree, how even in death it sustains our life. I’m thinking about the element of fire, how it symbolizes the life force and passion within us. Really beautiful, sensual, meaningful poem!
Beautiful words, elegantly styled. Incredible imagery. I loved everything about this one.
Oh my! You've done it again! I'd second Em's comment, not because I'm lazy but because it's so true. I also love the "through s t r i a t e d grooves of umber" part. Striated is a very cool word to use. Impressive stuff, Kristen!
Wowwwww. This is so vivid it's almost tangible. Yet another amazing poem, Kristen. So well done!!