Bonfire Evening

Tonight about half seven I attended our church youth group bonfire do. I attend a small Church of England church and our priest hosts a smal but fun fireworks event every year. The kids love it and I get to play with a bonfire. His wife lays on hot soup and hotdogs which also makes things a bit more sociable. Tonight in my part of the world the night sky was gin clear and the air temp was about 2 celceius. We had a reasonably large fire which burned bright orange and spewed sparks high into the air. Looking up this was a magical sight to see bright orange cinders flying up high through the leaves of the surrounding trees glowing against the dark blue night sky. I found myself just staring for ages. It reminds me of the poem about rushing around that starts - what is this life if full of care we have no time to stop and stare. I think this is a really beautiful piece of poetry that speaks logically straight to the heart of our being and never gives up one shred of meter or composure to do it.
There is so much beauty in this world that we often ignore for lack of time or never respond to and acknowledge. For me poetry is often about communicating something I have seen or felt or an idea that I have grasped. Communicating that well, so well that another person may enjoy remembering it is a real challenge for me, one that I don't always rise to. It is gratifying though when someone says to me " I really enjoyed that, read it again". Job done.

Peace Dave.