AT BOTH ENDS

the flames aren’t steady. they revolt
up to the tip-top of the firebox forest,
then dilute like a wick clipped too short.
to put them out, spread their embers and
pour the ash over the logs; sprinkle the
dead over the living and watch those colors
dwindle. the forest burns at both ends.
beware of this when snuffing out a fire. it will
ignite again when you aren’t looking, dear. it
will set ablaze all that you know and love, burning
everything in its path. there, we will watch the
flames jump all the lines we cannot cross.

Allie Wood is an undergraduate student in the Creative Writing program at Oregon State University. In the summer, she works for an organic farm in her hometown. Her poetry hones in on themes of peace along with the tranquil yet volatile guise of nature. The sublimity can be found in her poetry, where the two intersect.