Burning

Woodsmoke
a frosty evening-
the sky
infinitely deep,
a million stars
waiting
to be wished on

the fire hot,
pine tar snapping
too warm for anything-
but naked honesty,
bare truths

your face
gilded in the light,
body dappled by shadows
I remember

the taste
salt and hickory
last embers in the grate

I never loved you more

a candle
only lasts
a measured time
before guttering
into the dark

woodsmoke lingers-
scents of
our bridges burned