Fire

A Letter to a Friend (Poetry)


A Letter to a Friend

By Asche Keegan


Vibrant, her flame danced,
Twirling and twisting;
The water entranced
Enjoyment in listing
‘Twixt taming wave and flame.

She tried to study other things,
Mind set on ocean waves,
She watched how blue-green rings
Lifted tides into caves,
‘Twixt taming wave o’er flame.

Yet her flame would dance about
A distraction gold and fair.
She came to me to snuff it out,
Her time she could not share
‘Twixt taming wave and flame.

“I want to hide the flame away;
I’m focused on the ocean now,
And though with both I’d like to stay
Distractions I cannot allow,
‘Twixt taming wave and flame.”

I listened to her cry
And wondered why
She’d cast this gift to lie
Abandoned on the side
When God gave her wave and flame to tame…

I ask if she must, she dim the light,
Not pinch it shut or snuff it out,
Take her flame off bright,
Rejoin the sea and cast about
‘Twixt taming wave and flame.

She unleashed the ocean wild and true
In hardened battles, bravely fought.
Yet exists a lantern espied by you
A flickering remnant that 'twas caught
'Twixt taming wave and flame.

Asche

"The best alchemists don't turn lead into gold; they turn the world into words." -William H. Gass

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3 comments

  1. Asche2/16/21, 1:06 AM

    The poem is clunky as all get out, and the meter and rhythm need a lot of work. I may come back and edit this later, but sometimes free verse provides the greatest receptacle for raw message. :)

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  2. Thalassa Brytaye2/16/21, 5:05 PM

    Clunky? Here I am mouthing the words and marveling at the beautifully wild meter and rhythm! I don't think it's clunky at all, but you're the author.
    The phrase "'Twixt taming wave and flame" simply resonates. I love this poem. It might be my favorite of all your works so far. Thank you so much for posting.
    (also, this is not free verse. XD It may not have a standard rhyme-and-meter scheme, but it's very much structured western ;D)

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