That’s not a fire to warm yourself by
It’s the fading embers
of destruction
the last traces of a whole
transmuted to ash
and red flashes
that light your eyes
You know though –
this was never for you
Scavenger, vulture that you are
Nothing here was built
or burnt
for your edification
You just arrived
when survival was again a secure thing
and all the lost had scattered or decayed
That’s not a fire to warm yourself by
This was never for you