it smells like smoke,
***** fog,
burning bodies
of wooden souls
scream out:

stop! stop!
no, spare me!
spare me!

as we throw another log
into the mouth of flame
their screams grow louder
then fade to nothing

tiny voices
each screaming,
begging:

stop! stop!
no, spare me!

fading like so many into
the light.
their bodies gone, turned
to ash, their existence
turned to the warmth
upon our
faces

tiny screams,
like so many of our own,
begging, pleading:

no! stop!
spare me!