Most ancient rite and ritual of our race –
Passing millennia cannot numb its spell.
Billions before, yet each instance sends
Shockwaves echoing through heaven and through hell.
Rings alone cannot bind; words alone cannot freeze
The fates of hearts together for all time,
Nor contain the primordial force
That adds new forms to the eternal rhyme.
It seems controlled – but be not fooled –
No custom can cage the garden’s call
That creates beyond the players’ power
New destinies that shall fly or fall.
Tradition guides you through the day,
But silence swoops in that same night,
When you are left to learn to play
A game for two by firelight.
Rules forgotten. Control forsaken.
You have let the spark awaken.
And none can tell you where you’ll go-
Lit by fire’s flick’ring glow …
2024-12-18 finished (started Dec 16)
Iran is playing with fire
If Israel gets hot ~
Tehran will burn in her fryer
Role Playing With Fire
Fact and fiction
Role play with fire
Black is now white
Truth now a liar
Shall I be silent
Blindfold my tears
Bury my head
Dismiss all my fears
Shall I do nothing
Sit on my fists
Ignore all the hatred
That surely exists
Shall I be deaf
Cotton my ears
Block out the drumbeat
Of doom in the air
If I see something
Shall I say something
Or just walk on by
Ignore what’s occurring
Shall I self censor
Let truth expire
While Fact & fiction
Role play with fire
Photo & Poem By: Bill MacEachern
November 3, 2022
Play with fire; you get burned
[adage from grandma]
her tongue from a red-hot tong
beware the flaming
coal upon your lips
turn back, child of mine, to be
birned by bitter words
eschew the heated branding
iron insensitive
angry to the innocent
Karma brings in kind
to suffer you still
while hurt is raw inside you
and pain lingers long
mark of the most angry beast
red scab of tissue
easily recognized tail
tattoo not erased
by repentance sad
lingers to remind the soul
of false words spoken
Written October 23, 2022
[Playing with the Seguidilla
introduced by Jeff Kyser]
Playing with fire, in time we tire
Game of desire foolish
Objects that our heart does aspire
Are all doomed to perish
Stop this thinking disease
No demons to appease
Be blissful and at ease
Down to the wire
Playing with fire
22-August-2022
Quietus
Be proud my girl, but be humble. Be strong as well as gentle. Be courageous but never reckless. Do no harm, but take no crap. You are wild and fierce, determined and strong. I don’t aim to tame you, but guide you. To hopefully pass along hard lesson learned. I know all to well what ups and downs this life will bring. A fire burns inside you, ready to set the world on fire, but remember my girl, you too, are part of the world.
One impulsive Saturday morning in Autumn
Quail eggs take all the blames
Quail eggs from Laguna Farmer’s market
Unspeakable - what to do with these weird eggs? Later
that night, FIRST
home-made dinner
was born.
…. recipes, Bill Briwa, olive oils, herbs, wines ……
Raw Appreciation, Organic Acceptance
Flooding the kitchen space; his/her life space.
sizzling
boiling
roasting
braising
simmering
occasionally, a few drops of blood spiced up TLC
Grilling, oh yes, Hallelujah Outdoor Grilling – His joy, his toy!!!
Playing with unregulated fire,
Men, Grill, Fire -- Don’t ask.
My contributions: chopping, seasoning, stirring, dancing to 20’s music
back-scratching
“need just a touch of pepper”, I expressed
“I shall send my mom to you”
“Hmmm, superb sea bass”, “too many savory flavors fighting each other”
My Sweetie chef laughing mercilessly, he declared
My girlfriend becomes a food critic.
If you play with fire you'll surely get burned
Lighting fire to the drapes, attention it earns
Not a great idea
Leads to diarrhea
Fire engines blaring, causes extreme concern
Fire does seem to be
Nature’s Remedy
for much it deems
out of control:
Cleaning the forest
of weeds
with human
encroachment;
as God prospers
His Germs—making
ready for kindling
the multitude of
discarded souls….
I light a match…
watch it burn...
feeling a small
god of sorts;
entranced by
its beauty
and the power
of flame--
wondering where
one starts
and the other begins
or if, perhaps, all
is circular, and smoke
and ashes the surface
of well-rounded green?
Ouch! There must be
a better way….
Our love was never meant to last, I knew that.
I'm plain and boring, like grass that tickles your bare feet,
But you, you're like a fire that burns in the darkness of the night.
And though I knew we wouldn't last, I needed to try.
Mom always told me never to play with fire,
But I never knew playing with the fire within your heart was just as bad.
And when you left, my heart didn't break, it burned.
And darkness returned to my life.
Will I give myself to thee?
Why dost thou ask?
Thinkest thou my heart is free?
For no love is lost without cost,
And playing with my desire
Is like playing with fire.
For though thy flame attracts and draws me in
I want not the pain of being burnt again.
Nay, thou art like an hungered animal,
Empty of heart and small of soul,
Preying on the weak.
I know thy goal.
I am gone
And thou goest down the path I once was on,
A lonely road without love
And without help from God above.
By: Carole O'Terry Duet
Copyright: May, 2007
"All Rights Reserved"
When I first met you I thought you were cute
but after that I didn't think too much about it
'til you started coming around asking me out
and texting me everyday, I thought hmm well
ok why not we can go out for dinner and let
that be that but you were so charming and
sweet you swept me off my feet in a big, big
way, one thing led to another and then of
course we ended up lovers, the best of friends
and the best of lovers even in public places
I would never had considered with any other
but I have to admit getting caught in the act
was an exhilarating feeling I had never
experienced before now I can't count how
many times we've gone at it, today alone and
you still want more...
Now we find ourselves on a grey hound, thinking
we it was just the two of us, little did we know
a sexy blonde was getting into our little act
you asked me do you care if they join in, I said
THIS IS PLAYING WITH FIRE but what the Hell
you've already unleashed a beast in me like a
starving tiger burning with desire, so what the Hell
you Devil you but you're so good even if playing
with you is like PLAYING WITH FIRE...
yeah it's like PLAYING WITH FIRE...FIRE!
Sometimes you have to be burned with fire
To learn is better to do not inquire
Nayda Ivette
11-18-2015
"O` God"!,I don`t know how it begins or starts
I just got drawn into it without thinking,
It was sweet at first but kept me sinking,
This fire in the past had destroyed many hearts.
I tried to refrain but this love is so deep,
It is not right but what we share is so strong,
If exposed,our love becomes morally wrong,
which can make the real partner to end my sleep.
Lost in passion for it`s tough to end this dream,
but toiling with furnace fire isn`t child`s play,
We must restrain ourselves without delay,
though our love and passion make us a great team.
But I don`t want to toil with my life again,
This lust must end so that I won`t go insane.
*Contemporary Sonnet*
Contest:"When doing
wrong feels so
right" sponsored by
Jared Pickett
...and we've all been burned
before, yet we are fascinated
with the fire. Every one of us
has been careless with our
hearts, but the love we shared
was worth the blood we shed.
And those of us who are
wise...the ones who know the
risk but gamble with love
anyway, live without
regrets...for though we
continue to build up walls
around our hearts, the hopeless
romantics always leave a few
bricks loose...with hopes that
someone will still find a way in
with enough time and effort.
And though tomorrow may find
us heartbroken...today we
choose to live in this moment.
We will always chase those
butterfly feelings yet never
count the tears...for infatuation
becomes adulation, and then
love blossoms like wild flowers
after a spring rain...never
wondering if they will be
scorched by the sun tomorrow,
but instead opening themselves
to feel beautiful...if only for
today.
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