<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="auto"><div dir="ltr">Slow Fires</div><div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">Humans are slow fires.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">Sometimes we forget we are burning</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">and wear our faces like wood.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">Sometimes our eyes are all smoke </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">and no glow, or they water </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">from the billowing worlds</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">blowing their way, or they make</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">ashes of themselves and sift</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">for a form. Better to be </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">at the bottom of the wick knowing</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">you're on fire somewhere.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;">When the time comes, melt.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Patrick Woodworth</div></div></div></body></html>