once when i was a child
i sat in a field
surrounded by woods
and watched sparks leap from the fire to my clothes
i remember them dancing
and stinging skin hot
tiny freckle burns
dotting my arms
like stars
i remember the smoke
rising into the sky
and curling like a cat
caressing the darkness
as it twisted upwards and away away
the wood broke and the
scent of elderflower
filled me to the brim
with heady wild-smoke
and i remember thinking
big eyes filled with fire
my mouth just open and breathing the heat in
i want to run through that fire
to the other side within
.
i have always felt a particular connection to the smell of woodsmoke and elderflower due to frequent encounters with both - particularly together - as a child. so much so that the barest scent of either sends me spiralling into another mind.