I learned something

About fire

From loving you

I learned that something

Beautiful, something

Almost uncontrollable

Should be watched from

A safe distance.

But I got too close

I let your warm draw me near

And your glowing light fool me

Until we were both consumed, wholly

In this fire that we called love.

I held onto your warmth,

Onto your brightness,

Even when it had begun to fade,

And before I knew it,

We were both ash,

Cold and

Dark.

I learned something

About ashes

From loving you

I never knew that

I could feel so free to

wander,

To let the wind carry me away,

To travel far and wide,

To feel light and weightless.

I learned something

About the wind

From loving you.

I learned that we will end up where

We need to be.

I see now why we had to burn

In order to be free,

In order to be carried to

Somewhere new.

I learned something

About the earth

From loving you

I learned that the wind will carry the ashes

Of our love to soil that will bear a tree,

That will grow

Tall,

Strong, and

Beautiful

And when that tree has grown,

It will be cut down and used

For a fire,

A fire

That will consume me again.

I learned something

About myself

From loving you.

I learned that nothing is permanent,

And that rebuilding yourself,

Growing newer and stronger

Means nothing if

You allow it to go to waste

For the wrong person.