Burnt Cinderella

I reluctantly walk your ring of fire,
heart singed mind burned and scarred.
Across the coals I walk alone.

A furnace blast of reality
bakes me alive again and again
as my resolve melts against the assault.

Fire purifies the dead but
it destroys the living.
I'm the burnt Cinderella

standing in a world of ash
filled with spirits and bodies,
their essence trapped in my soul.

The weight of them keeps me here
until the wind reclaims them and
when I feel a lightness of being I run.

I stumble into a forest filled with new growth,
cleansed too by fire of its undergrowth,
we sit and wait together for the first sanctifying rain.

Then the first drop arrives, the ring of fire sizzles and spits,
and just before it dies its embers glow preternaturally
and in that moment nothing ever looked so beautiful.

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

agree ..fantastic title ... gripped me instantly .. wonderfully descriptive and emotive piece ... one certainly gets the sense this comes from your own experience ... such heart break and grief takes its own time no matter what we do ..hence the ring that traps us ... a ring of mutual friends, a ring of this and that little somethings scattered all about the home ... a stupid place like the grocery where we break down in weeping .. a stupid commercial on TV, a dumb story of innocent victims overcoming .. we break down ...hoping no one sees .. and we're sure we are going crazy ... dear Icey ..your poem puts me back there ... after so many years it can not un-heal me ..so its a good thing .. so glad the ending goes the way you write it ... because it does get beautiful ... and waaaaaaaaaay better
E.

[icelandicblue]

Oh Einstein you understand every nuance in this piece and yes, I break down and cry over a myriad of unrelated things. A puppy found in a mudslide, the death of two firemen, the first time a young girl walks after the Boston Bombing, the rescue of a horse from a pool, the death of a character in a book, an old song of my youth, I am a muddle of puddles. I wait for the beauty, that break in the clouds to heal the broken me that writes with this plaintive pen, and until then I weep, some days more than others. Thank you.

[TL Boehm]

this poem is deep - I understand fire cleanses but it still terrifies me at my core...I think the final stanza for me is the strongest but the whole thing is brilliant

[Kho-San]

Memories and experiences burn and weigh on us. Relationships which started beautifully can end painfully. And it all burns at our soul and erodes our life. But the soul is strong and no matter how many times it chars it toils on, and life within the living is stubborn and will not give up so long as hope remains.

Sometimes we look around us and we find that our world, which was once brimming with life and energy, has collapsed and there is nothing but dust and bones and tears. It takes strength to start again and build up from scratch. I have never heard of this word preternaturally and must thank you for teaching me something new, as well as bringing out so many feelings from me.

Thank you.

[icelandicblue]

Thank you your review is so very kind. I am happy to sprinkle the world with vocabulary. Don't tell anyone but I used to read the dictionary as a child and even today I'll read a page here and there lol. I do love words. Thank you again for your heartfelt thoughts.

[Kho-San]

Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I did start reading the dictionary last year. I'm still at 'abject' haha. Have a good day.

[Vidya Bacchus]

This is very beautiful Blue.Sometimes it all goes up in flames and is resurrected to a better tomorrow :)

[icelandicblue]

Once again thank you for gracing my work with your comment.

[Vidya Bacchus]

You are most welcome :)

[Traci]

Your title captured my attention, your beautiful words held me throughout. Such a soulful powerful write. We never know what each new day will bring us, and this is a reminder of that.
'Fire purifies the dead but destroys the living'
So much truth in these lines....lovely job as always, Anne.

[icelandicblue]

Thank you always for your kind words Traci.

[M.K. Jawdat]

So powerful and nicely written i liked it

[icelandicblue]

Thank you M.K.

[Deuces]

We never know what we have until we go through the fire and need it extinguished. That's when the simplest things in life are most appreciated. Beautiful, true work of art. Loved it.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks G you never know what each day is going to bring.

[s y e]

The title pulled me here Anne. Your day will come, you are definitely so much more beautiful than Cinderella and smarter than her too, I mean, a glass slipper? Heehee. Keep your chin up hunni, keep smiling and the day where you can dance the night away and be happy will come

[icelandicblue]

Thank you Noodle. ; )

[Creepy Swine Guy]

The day will come, when you put on the right slippers and then ... the clock will never strike midnight again.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks CSG I truly hope that you are right. I appreciate the good thoughts.

[Rita L. Sev]

Cinderella toiled so long before meeting her ever after. The burns mean that she will always remember, even as she dances her glass slippers off... Great take on a classic, Blue.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks so much Rita.