Beautiful On Fire

Beautiful On Fire

 

There, where all of earth’s beauty is withered and gasping

And smoke and fear cloud the minds, inside and out.

Where is there to turn?

You hear a noise

And spin around in a flash

But there is nothing there.

 

‘The skyline was beautiful on fire’

 

There, in the crumbling daze of faded memories

And the ear-piercing claps of lashing rain and thunder,.

Where is there to turn?

You hear a voice

And call out in a loud cry

But it echoes into the void.

 

‘The skyline was beautiful on fire’

 

There, where the shrieking cries of grieving lovers

Reverberate throughout the scorched terrain.

Where is there to turn?

You smell a faint scent of dandelions

And breathe deeper still

But the rotting corpses overwhelm the senses.

 

‘The skyline was beautiful on fire’

 

There, where the darkness pervades and festers

And torn pages are scattered among the freezing flames.

Where is there to turn?

Your eyes are suddenly drawn

To a distant star on the horizon

Shining faintly and sadly through the darkening clouds.

 

‘These are truly the last days’

Author's Note

Something a bit different. Inspired by 'The Dead Flag Blues' by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Let me know what you think :)

Reviews

[Inda]

I like the repetition here, i can't quite pull it off myself, so whenever i see someone do it right i'm in awe. it's a intriguing piece as well, keeps us engaged. Good job.

[OneAmongstMany]

Thank you :)

[Krutika]

I absolutely loved this piece of haunting despair tinged with knowledge of ending of something beautiful! I wonder why it's always the end that makes us realize the beauty in its existence! Touching and artful💙😊

[OneAmongstMany]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

[Ken Simm.]

I feel there are classic Science Fiction influences and imagery at work here. Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut or Philip K Dick. I may be completely off base but that is how I approached it and found it worked very well by comparison.

[OneAmongstMany]

This is mainly inspired by the song 'The Dead Flag Blues' by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I think we take the green grass and bright colours of our world for granted, and that's kind of what I'm getting at describing this scorched ground and crumbling earth, and everyone thirsting for the vibrant, green world they can scarcely remember

[PandaPeaceful]

Wow, truly magnificent. I was latched onto each word you wrote. I craved more and more of your writing as I read on. The imagery put into your poem is absolutely grand! You put great emotion into the story and I simply loved it. Keep it up!

[OneAmongstMany]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed :)

[Glen Weimann]

Very well written with some great phrasing and imagery. My interpretation is that some armageddon has wreaked its havoc and misery, and actually or metaphorically set the land ablaze. I was reminded of war-zones in fields and cities but it could be a Pompeii / Krakatoa type scenario. Very well told.

Regards
Nigel

[OneAmongstMany]

Thank you! Yes that's pretty much what I was getting at

[duff]

The imagery smolders in emotion and this is ridiculous in the best way possible. The title is sharp and you just kicked on! Nice work

I really like the title. Keep coming back to it.

[OneAmongstMany]

Thank you, always nice to hear your feedback :)

[duff]

My pleasure:)