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RecklessSpeculation t1_j8yxzp6 wrote

To the Wildfire.

​

Alight! Fledgling gasp of enlightened breath!

Stretch to distant Fornax: your Father's beating heart

Kindle life in feathered gods, in Pliny's reborn spark

​

Cradle in your ashen wings the clutch of summer

Crash uncaught on blackjack pine, while shortstraws fall and rise

Split the hermetic seals of chaparral souls, once open free to thrive

​

So quickened, they become a verdant legacy of ash

A memory of Dante, transfigured into Blake

The Lamb unburnt by Tyger's bite, nourished by spring rain

​

In darkened night, and coldest ground, you spark against the earth

Aquilla's children swoop and dive, to seek out perch and prey

Snap!

Crack!

Spark, again! No better midwife than a flame.

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Lost_Carcosan t1_j9965a2 wrote

I read this twice before I realized the word 'phoenix' isn't actually anywhere in it. It's cool that you managed to imply it so strongly.

Also chaparral is a really fun word.

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RecklessSpeculation t1_j9msdi2 wrote

I tried relying pretty heavily on allusion and implication, hard to thread the line.

And I agree, chaparral is very fun.

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