THE FIRE

they come in from farming and fields
they come in from hunting and hills
they come in from gathering and gardens
they come in when the sun is going away

the sky gives them light each day
so that they may toil and strain and pursue
under her rules
but when they come in
a fire is made

they come in and build a fire and talk to each other about what happened
and in the fire is light and warmth
a tiny child of what the sun gave them
but this fire that they made
is not from the sky, is not for surviving on the earth
this fire is from them, for them
it is for the mind and the soul
it is not for the body but for everything else

when the sun is in the sky
all is bright, stark, and bare
when the sun is gone
all is dark, occluded, and mysterious
the fire, with all of their people ringing it
that is what can be known
they come in and they speak and they find each others’ faces
and it starts to become known