Embers Quenched

watching videos of firewood turn white-hot
before crumbling into ash
and I imagine lives for us that will never be
and let them burn out on their own

words and images lose meaning here
and blend with the mythopoeia in your mind
to create new images to populate your imagination
and you make them in our own image, the two of us, always intertwined

I see us on a cliff face, peering out a tiny notch,
the only path to our home in the rock on the other side
we wear lead helmets and watch for threats that may never come
we are humble watchmen in a world of prog rock fantasia

I see us as adventurers in the next life
exploring with compassion and kindness as our tools
making something out of nothing
wherever we choose to go

I see us in a video store decades ago
bored co-workers who know how to make each laugh
and will take the opportunity whenever possible
watching sequel after sequel long into the night

embers quenched, tape hiss, warning from
your mind is like a tape, too, with playback and memory
I want to rewind and start when you did, because my “now” is your “then”
embers quenched, but still burning with the glow
from the clock on the VCR in the middle of the night
creeping downstairs, I feel the soft sadness of the witching hours
every night only lasts a night
and we mourn each one forever

© Jessica Umbra, 2024
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