Novice

I still am a novice at fire,

as it reminds me, morning and evening,

demanding my humble attentiveness,

first in the building

and then in the watching

what the first flicker will do

I look for the rushing of flames,

the roaring of yellow filling the firebox,

I look for the holes where it falters,

I seek to provide what it needs

As reward, I’m provided

with myriad metaphors

curling and licking,

warming my thought —

fire within takes on a new meaning,

lighting my day with its art.

©Wendy Mulhern

November 15, 2019