The Forest Fire

You probably don’t believe it:
That after all you’ve said and done,
It’s really done.
That after all this time
And ever battle I’ve let you win,
I could really walk away and stay gone.

But, baby, your candle’s flame has burned out
And now a forest fire has been lit…

You probably don’t yet hear the blaring sirens
Or yet sense the howling, fuming wind
But every game you played,
Every word you used
To turn half-truths into full blown lies
Will come back to knock you over
And keep you face down in your own goodbyes.

Oh, white liar, your whispers have been silenced
By the incoming, all-consuming tempest.

You probably don’t see the glaring signs
That warned you the train was speeding in
To pick up and leave with what has always
And, oh, what might have been.
Dear conductor your train is on the wrong track.
My engine is no longer storing your baggage:
It’s been uncovered, searched through, and thrown to the wind.

You certainly don’t understand the wildfire
(I’m just starting to grasp this energy myself)
But your hold on me is over
I’m never coming back again to you, to this,
To these claustrophobic- yet, ever-widening desert nights.
Every tear you caused to let fall from my eyes
Has finally dried and now I’m seeing new light.

I’m starting to understand it, just barely control it,
But fresh strength is charging in.
I’m taking hold of
Every memory, every scar, every bruise:
Now mine to mold into something better
Something stronger, and something I won’t lose.

You just can’t seem to understand it:
How a flame you’ve kept going so long
Could possibly be extinguished.
But I’ve finally smothered the tiny spark
And instead of groping in the dark,
Oh, you’ll see, a forest fire has been lit.

--Written by Sandy Heights
Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/ejaugsburg-148268/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=616267">ejaugsburg</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=616267">Pixabay</a>