The Fire Within
Zoe
The fire within
Burns strong
It keeps you here
When it seems like the world
Doesn’t want you anymore
Like you’ve already done
What little you can
It was almost enough
The fire burns bright
Even when
You enter somewhere new
And are greeted
With turned backs
And crossed legs
And touching knees
Forming a circle which has no sides left for you
The fire flickers
The darkness too
When all the shadows
Come alive
And the monsters in your closet and under your bed
Are stirring
It fends off the fears of tomorrow
The regrets of yesterday
Of words that should have been said
But sometimes
It’s not enough
Like all the doubts
Became a pile of wood
Your fire burns it
Releasing carbon dioxide
Smothers you
Makes you pause
And freeze
The world’s constantly pushing on you
You want to pull
Have to find that balance
Of fitting in
Still being you
Of breaking that circle
Without destroying it
The fire
Wards off the shadows
A diligent guard
It melts the words
Right off
Your frozen lips
The fire saves you
In return
You have
To keep
It lit