Smoldering Rose

Author's note: This poem was inspired by the book Fahrenheit 451, when the books were being burned. Knowledge was pretty much unaccepted and books were burned.  Educated people were in hiding, fearing that they would be found.  All in all, creativity, innovation and knowledge was banned.  If any of this existed, the firefighters burned it.



Burning
Black petals

Falling
Shifting
Curling


Charred
By the flames


Angry 
Dark passion licked the pages
Delicate
Old voices 


Dying
Burning in the rubble


Ancient words
Ancient voices dimmed


Forgotten times and histories


Blazing
Ashes.


Smoke rising
A smoldering rose
Revealing
Nothing


A grey ashy world


Ruins.


Forgotten knowledge
Of another life

Disappeared


Material creativity
Demolished
Ceased to exist


Torched


Burned by the flames of time