That Fire And My Friend Poem by RIC BASTASA

Everyday i put myself in fire
not the firewood
nothing about flames

it is an imaginary fire
that burns all day
inside my guts

when you see me i am a placid
lake
green ferns surround me
blue clouds crown my head
and butterflies hover in my own space

the fire is eternal
there is nothing charred
nothing burned

i know a friend who used to be like this
but she is gone
and lost somewhere in time

she writes a lot
and since then
finds no home.