(Poem) Charred

Somedays, I want to be
fire
burning in the distance—red, hot flames
licking around the edges of space, encompassing
the faraway, distant stars.

I want to burn brighter
than any other, burst
into a million sparks. I want to light up the world
like no one else could.

But
somedays, I feel like
nothing.

Smoldering down to ash, I’m
burning out. I don’t
know if I can keep going. I don’t even know how
I’m still going.

Somedays, I watch the sky
wishing
that I could still be fire. I want to glow
and shine, be a beacon under moonlit stars, but
all that escapes me
is a simple sigh no louder than
a quiet, summer night.