It would seem impossible
until we remember that fire
moves, sparks, mesmerizes.
Ashes dart, escape to start new flames,
breathing oxygen and tinder, alive—
but the subzero is still, unseen,
until the numbness sets in,
and, at a certain point, rigidity
cannot be undone,
cannot be warmed up.
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Charissa Menefee is a poet, playwright, and director. Her chapbook, When I Stopped Counting, is available from Finishing Line Press, and her poems can also be found in Adanna, Poetry South, Twyckenham Notes, The Paddock Review, Dragon Poet View, and Telepoem Booths. She is on the faculty of the MFA Program in Creative Writing & Environment at Iowa State University.
Photo by Backbone Campaign.
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