I notice it
It is slight
In meaning and in size
A momentary interruption
A mere flicker
in the tenement of steel
A brief flaw
in the consummate white
this thing they call fire
unfed, licking on all sides
I wouldn't touch it
even if I were close enough
but
for a moment, there
a faint bit of scarlet
outlined in ochre
bright, and brilliant
and about to die
a momentary interruption
a spasm
in the cold, undeviating line of time
Jan 30, 2024
Jan 30, 2024 at 12:40 AM UTC
I notice it
It is slight
In meaning and in size
A momentary interruption
A mere flicker
in the tenement of steel
A brief flaw
in the consummate white
this thing they call fire
unfed, licking on all sides
I wouldn't touch it
even if I were close enough
but
for a moment, there
a faint bit of scarlet
outlined in ochre
bright, and brilliant
and about to die
a momentary interruption
a spasm
in the cold, undeviating line of time
"and that blue there, cobalt
a moment, then iridescent,
fragile as a lady's pin
hovering above the nasturtium?"
- August Kleinzahler, "The Damselfly"
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