The Campfire

Charis, Lake Ediza, California, 1937 by Edward Weston

Some secrets wait for campfires.

Eyes focused on flames and

the browning marshmallow,

I tell the tale, disguised

as a ghost story:

“It was a dark

and stormy night,”

is a metaphor for

“I can’t see my way

on this winding path.”

And “there was a

one-armed man,”

means “how can I

help you move

past this pain?”

Later, coming down

from the sugar high,

I lean back in your arms

and contemplate

dying embers.

I can just see my

worry waft away

to the moon.

This is a Magpie Tale.