Reach In To Get Out

Young blood, some younger than others of course, boils by the fireside. Sitting on rocks, rocking on energy, energized beyond recognition, we sit encircled not in warmth – but the warmth is encircled in us. Fires are unique in that way: they are nothing yet everything; you cannot touch only feel them.

The guitars strum in awkward rhythms; awkward is the title of tonight’s show. People come just because, I cannot say because of what, and hang around for a while. Some are wanted, either for their looks, or their wit, or their relationships, mostly for their relationships. Wanted by others, not by me. I like people for their existence, not their qualities. These may have existence, but they hide behind their qualities, like most, and are therefore unreadable.

It crackles and dances, does the fire, and sparks shoot upward, trying to reach the star-studded heaven above, trying like a young child for his mothers breast. But, as I watch, all the sparks fade away a mere few feet into their flight. You would think that they would learn their lesson, but, no, they still reach, still yearn, still burn for the beautiful beyond.

We sit, trying to emulate the sparks, the fire: we try to shake and dance, we try to leap off our crackling limbs, off our earthen flesh, off our boiling blood; but, the more we reach, the further away we seem to be.

We all reach differently: some reach through the pipe, some through the bottle; some reach through their hearts, some through others’ minds; some reach with their outstretched arms, some with narrow-minded thoughts; some reach by singing out of tune, some by reciting poetry; some reach by falling back, some by falling forward; some just by falling; some reach by blowing smoke rings, some by blowing minds (and some by blowing other things); some reach out, some in; but only those that don’t reach seem to be getting anywhere.

I guess we truly are like the flame – we must reach for heaven, lest we become comfortable; but the only way for us to really burn is by dancing on earth.