Fire

[Hawkman]

Shifting to the rhythms of internal politics
the flames lean left and right,
dynamics coloured by currents
of insatiable need
and so they feed,
following the breadcrumb trail
of brittle wood.

A pine knot novas;
its flare of light,
hissing with delight,
perfumes the wood-smoke air with
needle smells of resin
in columns of glowing sparks
which drift and die.

In the heart of flame
the patterns of the world unfurl
ever seeming to reveal
unknown futures to the scryer’s eye,
while at the tip,
excited by the heat,
a billycan seethes.

[Quantareau]

Shifting to the rhythms of internal politics
the flames lean left and right,
dynamics coloured by the currents
of insatiable need
and so they feed,
following the breadcrumb trail
of brittle wood.

A pine knot novas;
its flare of light,
hissing with delight,
perfumes the wood-smoke air with
needle smells of resin
in columns of glowing sparks
which drift and die.

In the heart of flame
the patterns of the world unfurl
ever seeming to reveal
unknown futures to the scryer’s eye,
while at the tip,
excited by the heat,
a billycan seethes.

Having seen a few fires in my time, I say "Right On". Beautifuly done.

[Hawkman]

Thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed and related to the words :)

Live and be well - H

[AuntShecky]

Your piece is effective with its specific imagery. The only slightly-false note is (at least to me) is the rather abstract "dynamics coloured by the current/of insatiable need."

I had to look up two words unfamiliar to me. I was very surprised to find that "scryer" was a verb, not a noun with an "-er"
suffix, such as "farmer" or "lawyer." I guessed at the meaning of the other word, which made me remember a line from "Waltzing Mathilda," and what d'ya know, I was right about "billycan." (By the bye, here's an obscure reference for you, in case you ever appear as a contestant on "Jeopardy!" or find yourself going for the championship trivia game at some pub. When Jimmy Carter was U.S.President his fun-loving brother was associated with a potent potable to whom he gave his name --"Billy Beer." It came exclusively in cans.)

Yours fooly is the 175th person so far to click on this thread. I don't know how it is with cricket, but in baseball, getting 175 hits in the minors will probably get you brought up to the Major Leagues.

For now, it will at least get you "bumped."

Your fan,
Auntie

PS-- When will your bobblehead be available?

[Hawkman]

Hi Auntie and thanks for both reading and commenting.

As for your flagging of that line - I suppose I am being a little playful here, though I hadn't considered it particularly abstract. Apart from a little satirical punning (when related to "shifting to the rhythms internal politics/the flames lean left and right") the line in question also refers to the physical, in as far as various elements burn with certain colours - the basis of spectroscopy. You have drawn my attention to an error in the line though. I feel that the definite article is superfluous. I think "insatiable need" is reasonable in context. Fire is sort of insatiable, it will continue to burn as long as it has fuel, oxygen and heat. Only in death does it cease to feed.

As for scryer being a verb - all I can say here is "not in my dictionary." Scry is a transitive verb but scryer - one who scries - is definitely a noun.

I think in cricket, it's not the number of hits you get but the number of runs you clock up! Certainly, 175 of them in a single match would be pretty good. Not sure if it warrants a bobble-head though :D

Thanks again for reading.

Live and be well - H

[AuntShecky]

It wasn't in my dictionary, either. I plugged it in the Google apparatus:


Scryer - definition of Scryer by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus ...www.thefreedictionary.com/Scryer‎Cached
Similar intr.v. scried (skr d), scry·ing, scries (skr z). To see or predict the future by means of a crystal ball. [Short for descry.] scry [skraɪ]. vb scries, scrying, scried

and took their word for it as an "intr.v."

[Haunted]

At quick glance I thought it was about some British politics. It was late and my brain was fried, so I put it aside until I was ready. That was a day or two ago. It's still late but not as late and so I was a bit less confused. It's just that I got it backwards. Kept thinking fire is the metaphor for the politics, when the politics is the metaphor for the fire! Duh.

I like how you interchange and return to the metaphor. I like how the fire smells too. It's October here and I was just thinking of a fake fire, which I press the on button from November to God knows when spring comes. But the last few days have been really balmy, so that might have affected my absorption of the subject matter. Which is a long way to say that I found this to be quite a literary piece :D

[Hawkman]

Hi Haunt. Yeah, it's October here too :D Lots of mist in the mornings and the spiders' webs are all beaded with dew in the shrubs around the campus. Still too warm for fires though.

Glad you enjoyed the piece, despite its metaphor ;)

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond but I've been a bit busy. Can't spend as much time as I'd like on the forum now. Anyway, thanks for stopping by to read the poem and for your kind comments.

Live and be well - H

[AuntShecky]

It's October here

It's October here, too.


Even in the Tropics

If the dramatic foliage didn't catch the eye
against the dynamics of an azure sky,
and clued-in birds didn't take to the air,
It still would be October-- everywhere.

[Haunted]

LOL Haunted's October is synonymous with autumn. Everyone knows that! :D

I've been away a long time myself... maybe I'll spend more time here when it's November here....

[MystyrMystyry]

bumpity bump

[Lykren]

Definitely a good evocation of the spirit of fire! Thank you for sharing.

[DieterM]

Had to look up "billycan" (fantastic word with its gay double "i"-sound), and am glad to know I'll go to sleep less stupid than yesterday ;-)
A wonderful evocation indeed that makes me wish to have a fireplace in my flat. I'd roast chestnuts, I guess. And try to finish "War and Peace" at last.
Thanks for warming my October day, Hawk!