Smoke

       In the lost darkness of the night, deep in the wilderness, two fires burned
       One a small campfire circled by stones giving off flickering light and warmth
       The sounds of crackling wood seemed to echo into the silence of the night
       Light dancing in shadow patterns illuminating an ever-changing small circle
       Keeping at bay for a time the demons and beasts that walk in the night
       And the smoke rose slowly, silently into the dark

      The other fire burned deep inside the man staring into the fire, lost in thought
      It was not a good fire and the longer it burned the more of him was consumed
      Memories washed over him like a waterfall, drowning him, leaving no breath
      All the losses and mistakes of his life, the hurts, the pains, all again relived
     Worse of all was the love taken from him, forever gone to wherever spirits live
     And the smoke rose slowly, silently into the dark
                                                              

     From out of the darkness a figure came, staying just out of the fires light
    The man said nothing, still lost in his world of agony seeing only his pain
    He had tucked each and every loss, every fear, mistake deep into himself
    The bigger the burden became the harder he pulled it along never letting go
    After a while there was no future, no light, only this leaden bag to drag
    And the smoke rose slowly, silently into the dark

                      The stranger smiled and put a stick on the fire and the man looked up
                      Flames greedily licked the stick, the smoke now lingered, swirling about
                     They formed a picture of one of his pieces of baggage, a memory of loss
                      In the smoke she was there smiling, showing him she was now at peace
                      Showing him to remember all the good he had found, not what he missed
                     And the smoke dissolved and rose slowly, silently into the darkly

   Feeling lighter now, he looked up the stranger threw another stick on the fire
   Again the flames devoured it and the smoke became one more of his pains
  This time a trusted friend he had once let down so long ago, never forgotten
  The figure smiled, "I forgave you long ago, as friends do, only you remember"
 "Each thing is a only a lesson to be learned, not baggage to drag you down."
  And the smoke faded slowly, silently into the dark

  The man looked over the fire at the stranger whose eyes were like the fire
  He smiled as he felt lighter again and the peace beginning deep inside him
  Throwing his own stick on the fire he watched the smoke form and dissolve
  Each time a heavy burden he had carried was shown to be the smoke it was
  Laughing he threw stick after stick on the fire, seeing them all consumed
  And the smoke laughed and danced into the dark

  The stranger rose, smiled, walked off, disappearing into the night as smoke
  Words in his mind spoke softly in peaceful gentleness yet immense power
  There are no burdens to carry other than those you choose yourself to carry
  Life is not about what happens to you, it is about how you react to it, in love
  As he closed his eyes finally to sleep he noticed the stranger left no footprints
  And the smoke rose slowly, silently, and peacefully into the dark

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