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Fire breaths,
It curls in corners,
Licks the air with hunger,
And we all call it beautiful,
Because we’ve never seen it uninvited.
It dances best when boxed in,
When the edges are stone,
And someone stand near to feed it,
Funny thing about fire—
It hates being alone.
Leave it long enough,
And it forgets the rules,
Climbs the walls,
Cracks the frame,
Burns through everything with a smile.
She never needed much,
A little kindling, a glance,
A match struck soft in a quiet room,
But if I ever went quiet—
If I ever didn’t answer fast enough—
The silence was gasoline,
Like that pause meant I’d left her to burn out.
I used to think that spark was magic,
I used to stare too long,
Got lost in the glow,
Until I couldn’t tell her where her light ended,
And I began.
By the time I blinked,
I’d already blistered.
It took water—
Slow, steady,
Not holy but honest,
To cool what I thought was love,
To show me what heat hides,
Now I flinch at warmth.
Now , I look at the sun and squint,
It’s got that same grin she had,
Right before the smoke.
Not all light tells the truth,
Some od it bends,
Distorts,
Twists the shadows until they look like safety.
Some families frame the flame,
Call it tradition,
Say we’ve always kept it burning
But I’ve seen what fire does,
When no one’s watching,
I still carry the scorch marks,
Where it reached for me.
And I keep a little water,
Just in case.
Kids Help Phone (KHP) is honoured to share creative content submitted by youth from coast to coast to coast as they Feel Out Loud with us. We thank the Feel Out Loud Community Creator of this piece for their contribution to youth mental health and well-being in Canada. For more information on the Feel Out Loud Community Creator Space and / or how you can submit your own creative content for possible publication, you can visit the submission page.
