catching fire

catching fire

strike poems together like
two flints. sparks will erupt.

hunt and gather small verbs
of debris, for they will catch first.

imagine you dwell in a cave.
feel the cold and hunger.

pile word twigs together on top.
carry the stick weight of vowels
as they yearn for life.

dowel upon wood, turn the syllables
until they mean something. Force
them to something. do
not relent.

with sacred delicate breath, blow.
again. blow.
the pulse from your chest brings
life to meaning.

see how it combusts without
more effort. it knows what to do.

feel the heat rising from words.
let it puncture the cold.
then gather more language
to feed it.

now, rest easy as
you sleep this night.
in the embers, there are meanings.
in the burning, we are known.