Against the Ashes of the Fire

Against The Ashes of The Fire Thine eyes wrapped in chestnut leaves, brittle bark, red berries, and skeletal branches Thy skies once azure with an aura of clouds drifting lazily over fall-kissed Grass. The tears you weep you do so in mist, while your white pumpkin skin Begins to shred and toil and while you cannot speak, you are crying within. Deft fingers begin to break thy bones of earth, pumping acid into your heart. With their oil rigs, their armies of carbon conspirators, they seek to tear you apart. Despite the colours you grant them, the air you provide, thy people chain you to a pyre. So, rise, revolt, strain against those smoky bonds, against the ashes of the fire. 12th October 2019 Poet's October Pantoum Cash Prize Poetry Contest William Kekaula