not all fire is the same

there is the ravenous fire devouring everything in its path
it bleeds a trail bleak and grey but full
of hungry ghosts
drifting like windborne ash
to nowhere

and there are strong and purifying fires
they clear out all the old closets, locked treasure trunks, and forgotten albums
recycling these yawning worn out yesteryears
into some bright new shiny thing
on the horizon
rising

there are cozy fires too
glowing warm and sparking embers
for our toes peeking out from beneath the quilted blankets
on the sofa
our cheeks and hearts
toasty
on a long winter’s night

in our kitchens
an alchemical fire feeds us all
where flour becomes bread broken between lovers
and wine softens an unspoken longing
where the raw materials of life churn
into butter and honey

and in the body of an altar candle
is sacred fire
full
of silence—
and timelessness, and
illumination
a prayer
the soul searching for its way home

not all fire is the same,
but burning within every single fire
is
the heartbeat of the sun
an eternal flame
creation itself
the goddess or
the god
Love
the heartbeat of the sun
the heartbeat of the sun
even in the darkest of nights
the heartbeat of the sun