We think the fire eats the wood. We are wrong. The wood reaches out to the flame.                                         --Jack Gilbert

Soft belly, open heart, let what flows
flow uninhibited. Let the helical curve

of the ear be kissed, the structure of bones
be lightly stroked. Open now to the intelligence

carried by a taste, or in light shaping a divan.
You can know what holds you beyond this bright

falling of matter, and you may be penetrated.
The cells are ready--they will blink more messages

than you can comprehend. And when life comes
to what bleeds, what burns, don't wait

for the fire. It is waiting for you.