A Firebird’s Lovesong

A Firebird’s Lovesong
Jesse Lee

Dressed in smoke and embers,
I learned to glow to keep
You warm.
But warmth kindled light
And you held me like ice
Against the wildfire
I was learning to feed.
You tried to smother
The flames,
Knowing that what
Rose from the ashes
Would no longer be
Yours.