i gather near fire, toes warming and i watch hearthglow, oh, finally letting snow melt off my soul, i catch the shadows of future light, dancing in the dim, playing with darkness like an old friend, easy, unthreatened, unresistant, no mask, just dance and disappear and reillumine, radiant now, slow then fast, multifaceted and calm. prayer is so much easier when i stay. eyes reflect the forge from which we were made.