Intensity

A feeble flame, a wavering glow
which the wind oscillates to and fro
It provides warmth to shivering hands,
as smoke escapes in silvery strands
So very fleeting, yet so dear
giving respite from the weather austere

Animals approach the subdued flames,
other chilled creatures do the same
A pleasant sensation, the burning blaze emits,
and the seeking animals around, it closely knits
They curl around the heat, expelling the frost
which rapidly returns when the fire is lost

People surround it, basking in the heat,
as the towering fire blazes and greets
a dark night devoid of the moon,
and a ground around which cinders are strewn
It creates a tingling perception, burning eyes
as sparks soar into the darkened skies

An empty edifice, on the outskirts stood,
experiences a brush of wood against wood
Fire engulfs the walls, tearing them down,
by a violent orange, the desolate house is drowned
it crumbles helplessly, more fragile than glass
and remains a wrecked mound when the fire dies at last

A single crackle, an unaccompanied spark,
and then the conflagration explodes in the dark
at first, stealthily slinking through the trees,
until it grows by massive degrees
The fire- devastatingly beautiful- moves with aplomb,
which neither drizzle nor time is able to calm