Flame

Flame

The first time I saw its smooth, sleek dance,
Watching, eyes transfixed, unable to pull back.
It’s silhouette flickering across my cupped hands,
Heat in tongues of red delight.
So many colors.  So many moves,
Naturally shifting to an unknown song,
An unheard rhythm, through cupped hands
Keeping out the wind, wanting to hold this
Tiny dancer, so dangerous, so close
That with a puff of my breath, extinguishes--
Leaving the image, so clean, so clear
In my mind.