From deadwood
the flame's greatest incandescence
burns
until the deadwood branches
only momentarily
hold their shapes
Lightness transcends
Form remains
until too light to stand
the deadwood collapses
onto the embers already fallen
creating scenes and dreams
that I recognize
and remember
It's all there
there in the embers' heaped incandescence
in the deadwood's afterglow
Embers as clouds and rocks
reveal the stories
the creation of the universe
the flying hats
the magic bunny
the naked tree
the mystic vortex
black hearts
brilliantly glowing caves
caverns of shadow and light
beckoning
inviting
revealing the truth of deadwood embers
- Pamela Patrick