Campfire

The sparks blazing in the night, Shooting into the dark, The smoke billowing up into the sky, Curling and unfurling itself among the trees, The flames licking at the air, Twisting and reaching up like hands, The warmth radiating outward, Bathing my outstretched hands in its heat, The golden light washing over our faces, Chasing away the shadows, I sit watching the flames flicker, Becoming bigger and smaller, Like a creature breathing in and out, I watch it char the wood and newspaper we used to set it alight, And I’m reminded of the destruction it causes, Houses, trees, animals, people, Have all been engulfed by its searing heat, I can almost hear the screams of its past victims, I can almost see the devastation left in its wake, And I fill up a bucket with some water from the pump across from our campsite, And use it to snuff out the fire, The beast sizzles and hisses, And fades into a blackened pile of ash.