Photo by Daniel Israel for Hudson Reporter

What burns off your colors, like the last log on the fire?
So hot it melts off the stress and regret;
so fierce it grabs you with hot fingers of gas;
and you grab it tight, just to look at it.

What lights your eyes, reflecting the shine away?
So bright it blinds your best friend, your parents;
so intense that the darkest nights are as bright as a summer day;
and you direct your eyes to only the fire.

What fills your ears, playing that one song to collapse your mind?
So soft it can only be heard by its true composer;
yet so loud it bursts your ears when you listen,
and you sing into the void an answer that is but a question.

What attacks you? What ambushes you?
Knocks the balance out of your feet; the strength out of your legs;
the wind out of your chest; the precision out of your arms;
the pen out of your hand, and…

It hits doubt, in the mind.
The injury of desire, at war with the cost of routine.
You are stretched and bent,
pushed and pulled, but not down, nor up,
Forward.

What fuels your fire?
What makes your blind eyes see?
What makes your deafened mind hear?
What brings life to your touch of destiny?
What crashes the party, demanding you recognize it and feed it,
and your thirst for the fire only you see,
Forever burning, only with your kindling, and your burning…

The fire is happy.

You are happy.

You are burning, and you are happy.

Listen to yourself.

Words from the Author
Matthew Alton

This poem was extremely challenging to write. Every single line was changed at least once, and sometimes more than 3 times. I wanted this poem to show someone finding their “fire” in life and connecting with it. If it wasn’t obvious, the fire is your passion. You must not take this literally in that the poem is persuading you to jump into actual fire. Rather, the poem is telling you what your passion will feel like when you find it, and I hope that we all find our true passions at some point in our life. I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope it was enjoyable to read/listen to. I love how this poem was written before the Pecha Kucha project, and now, in the wake of its conclusion, it sings even more.

Revision Decision

This poem went through two major revisions. The first revision created a lengthy “ramble” at the end of the poem and made the hidden message, well, hidden. The second revision doubled the length of almost every line, removed the ramble entirely, turning into a stanza, and made clearer analogies throughout.