Page 2
February 8, 1973
BURNING,
Some things burn, and burn, and burn,
Until it seems like there is no material left unburned.
The burning of the hand can be a beautiful thing.
Fingers flicker like orange match-sticks when they burn.
Oh what beauty you witness with the melting of the nails!
The blackened palm crumbles with the grace
Of a Russian ballet.
And the burning of the ear can be a beautiful thing.
Folds of glowing sun-lit skin collapse in the intensity
Of heat.
The burning of the face can be perhaps the most
Beautiful thing. Silent expressions
Waver and sink in the heat of the night,
And brilliant fire escapades about the crevices and folds
Of the human mask.
Burning is like a blue gas,
That chases best with water on the side.