I’m still surprised when I look in the mirror And see an old woman looking back at me But one thing that surprises me even more Than the wrinkling skin and the jiggly jowls Is that this old womans eyes are filled with fire This is not a cheery fire Creating a sense of cozy warmth and homey safety Confined, contained and domesticated in a fireplace made of polished stone Or the raucous bonfire on a sand studded beach Blazing to the heavens with a hunger for more and more and more As youthful, limber, glistening bodies dance with abandon and grace Fed by the heat and the promise of fecund, aching life The fire that hides behind this old woman’s eyes Is a fire that can no longer be reined in Tamed Domesticated Harnessed Muzzled Or controlled by my human will or preference It is an ancient fire A howling fire A timeless fire A dangerous fire It is the raging wildfire that cleanses the landscape down to the rocks and stones Leaving behind nothing but blackened trees on a mountain hillside Naked and charred in preparation of the slow eventuality of rebirth It is the all consuming fire that […]