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the allusion
July 18, 2016
and what of fire?
what of the greedy flames of pain that erode the bones,
consume the mind, lick at the soul?-
this is what i asked him, but he answered with a question:
what of the phoenix?
what of the inferno that must devour it
feather by feather
tasting each with tongues of molten gold
so that it can emerge
more brilliant, more alive, stronger-
from the ashes of its sorrow?
we dream of rebirth but we forget that, so often,
we must first burn.
© Katherine A., San Antonio, TX
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This article has 5 comments.
SultanaofOceans BRONZE said...
on Jul. 22 2016 at 10:05 am
I love this poem. I like how it's a two way conversation and how it was very vivid. Keep writing!
Okay, WOW. This is my first time posting to Teen Ink and you're my first comment, and you don't know how much your feedback means to me! Thank you for taking the time to read my poem! I desire to work hard and improve my writing, and hearing from you is such an encouragement.
This poem is AMAZING. The descriptions of the flame and of the phoenix are both so visually stimulating, great word choice. I also love the way that the concepts in this piece are presented as a conversation between two people; it's refreshing to have the persona learn a new perspective from another human being rather than just having a solitary aha moment. Great work!
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