The Embers Remember

- For J.L.B. -

The embers remember
the girl from the shore,
reborn from the fire
that burned at her door.

A spark, a light, a flash of pain
and all was dark.
Silent again.

The warmth that radiated from that epic fire
lives on in the embers that remember her touch.
The embers remember the life lived before -
they remember the girl who grew up by the shore.

She moved and spoke with a certain grace
that hid the hurt
and lined the face
with a hint of hope
lies could not erase.

When first she came to this since wasted land
she had faith in her heart,
and a hand in her hand.
Deals were made
and dreams were born -
but deals fell short
and the seems of dreams are easily torn -

and the flame burned on.

She has left this place, once green and bright,
and her last word still lingers
"Remember...."
whsip'ring through the silver night.
And though the flame has long since gone
Her smile remains, and will aways shine on -
for faith and hope and dreams galore
burst through the walls
when the fire burns down the door.


The embers remember
the girl from the shore -
They started the fire
that destroyed her front door.

She reminded us all
in time and in turn
that both love and life
are well worth the burn.

In Between

Inside Plato's Cave

there were no individuals.

Spectators, all.

And Inside Adam's lush garden

Eve had a 50/50 chance

to be responsible for the Fall.

Its hard for me not to envy

these antiquated places -

there were fewer people then,

thus fewer judgemental faces.

To be certain, stones were cast.

Alexander gossiped about a "loose soldier",

Cleopatra received hateful glances,

Brutus and Judas, with such names,

fated to betray -

and Romulus and Remus

such competition,

brought up on the hill by the bay.

And yet....

and yet with less "people"

and less "society"

and a much larger "world" -

how could one not envy the clear and present lack of threat.

I'd give my life to spend my time

worrying about war,

invasion,

the Black Plague.

Instead of the sting of a GQ magazine cover,

the invasion of some younger person majoring in

your major,

and most of all,

"community".....

And I return full circle

as I so often to

(unintentionally, of course)

A community is a group of people

gathered together through an indirect purpose

but fighting for something that they also simulatenously destroy:

Community.

A person leads to people.

People lead to society.

A society makes up a community.

And a community will destroy a person

......as long as we have a society in between.

And in between is where I shall end -

where all this mess begins.

Two lovers....or two drukards...

faithful or otherwise

together for one purpose:

to come.

and to go.

But that in between.....

that damn tricky in between.....

it makes all the difference.