Fire, like a heartbeat, drumming in the hearth
I am obsessed with it —
It’s life, breath, heat, burning
It hums like wind over an ocean
The grate is gothic
And the sword on the mantel
Fits an aesthetic from old stories
–Or this story, my own–
I learn to put gloves on
When putting logs on the pile
I learn to use my breath
So oxygen can make it grow
I learn that fire needs energy
All you can give it
I give it what I can
Depleted as I feel
It’s enough
With Love,
Natalie