Iocas Yr Heliwr

Firelight

What to do, what to dare…
In the snapping firelight I see you,
An eternity away across the circle
That I dare not break to go to you;
As you look away into the darkness
I am struck again at how you hold us so close,
Yet never let us near,
A fragile translucent shell of aloofness
Breached by reaching arms
That say both let me go and hold me close

A delicate balance you weave,
Making sure not to smile too much,
But still holding our affection;
A part of the circle, but apart from it,
You are the keystone that strives to break free
But cannot, for fear that we will collapse

The flames obscure your face
But I can see your hands,
Always in motion, never still, never touching anyone;
Hands that guide but do not grasp,
Like the shadow-pictures on the wall
That you like to make from the fire’s glow;
Slightly hunched, you sit,
Looking away, hiding the hands that seek to hold us

I know you wish to be held,
But will hate me for it if I do,
And wish to hold us,
But cannot for fear that we will not let go;
And so I sit across the infinite circle,
Watching you watching the darkness,
Playing an unknown melody in the air
As your eyes fill with emotions we will never see.