Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Fire (for Jason Hatfield)

The world knows I love you, or at least, it will now,
and I hold dear what our time taught: a boy and a girl
can be friends and nothing more (although, to be fair,
the rest of my life has revealed the rarity of this).
There are things I know that you only know, with me,
and when I've feared for you, I've feared for myself,
believing my horse lives on, someway, in your head,
along with the girl who rode her. And I love that girl:
look back and see my thundering from innocence,
losing control, crossing every line (just never with you).
I needed reigning in, but that was never your deal;
you would've vouched for me no matter my tragic truth.

Today, I remembered the burnt forest (Can you hear my
telling it in a whisper?) and how quietly we rode there.
I don't know why we rode there; it was bare and charred,
ugly, wanting. What was it? What was it? What. Was. It?
Fascination with post-destruction, maybe, and maybe
we learned what we learned there against this very day.
The fire does not take it all. Most of what a thing is
lives under the surface and cannot be burnt away and up.
Even if, say, the fire kills a man, his soul will take flight,
settle in the light of another place. We live in this truth,
you and I; we'll never die. The burnt forest isn't. Burnt.
(It's a forest, still.) Birds sing, trees whisper, of us there.

**Linking at the Poetry Jam. Visit to read more offerings on "fire."

14 comments:

  1. What a very touching, well-written, emotional and meaningful piece!

    Welcome to Poetry Jam. Glad to have you among us.

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  2. Lovely memory of a friendship and also liked the description of the burned forest. I have seen these scenes and there is really so much still there.

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  3. intriguing insight into the forest that was burnt and the life that still exists there...and the forest that will return...also in relation as well to your relationship with him as well...friends can for sure...

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  4. We live in this truth - friendship and commitment foundations of all that is good.

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  5. "Can you hear my
    telling it in a whisper?" - I was drawn in already, but felt like this made me bend my head a little closer while the story was being told.

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  6. What a lovely and loving write. It is so full of hope and has a profound message for us all.

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  7. ... 'the fire does not take it all' ~~ amazing, these words. Beautiful write Brandee.

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  8. I became very still after reading this piece ... sharing a scene such as that burnt scene with a friend must have been such a powerful experience ... and the whispering and awed quiet while passing through ... such atmosphere you created here, Brandee. It felt to me like the feeling I get when I walk into a huge cathedral or through a cemetery ... that quiet and contemplative mood ...

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  9. Wow, I very much enjoyed this. Style and content really fantastic.

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  10. Beautiful and poignant read and the image of the burnt forest is a powerful one, especially for us here in Australia where bushfires are so common.

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  11. Yes my friend, we do see much of the same in this little world we live in that is why I love you so. There is something to be said about 'beauty out of ashes'. I love the 'friendship element out of this.

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