I thought I was at a
bonfire
Because I did not look
up.
I thought everything
was fine,
That all was right,
and all was well
And all was good and
fun,
Because I did not look
up.
I thought I heard a
voice say:
“The world is on fire
–
Stop playing with
matches.”
But I thought they
were overreacting,
They weren’t seeing
things clearly,
Because it was just a
little bonfire,
And everything was
fine.
But that was because I
did not look up.
But then I heard a
noise –
I don’t know what.
I glanced up, and saw
the glow of a larger fire.
I stood up.
I looked up.
I climbed up the hill
to get a better look.
And I saw the world
was on fire.
And we were all
playing with matches.
I looked back at the
bonfire.
It was small, but too
big for me to put out.
I looked at the world.
It was vast, and far
too big for me to put out.
“What can I do?” I
asked, “The world is on fire!”
I heard a voice say:
“Put out the small
fires that are closest to you.
And, for the love of
all things holy,
Stop playing with
matches.”
- Sharon Bryan
Skirting the edge of the Tammeõde cycle.
