All through the spring,
summer, we added to the pyre
that was our life together,
piling on everything—smiles
and sorrows, secret glances,
nettling concerns.

Once we faced the fall,
we set it ablaze and,
arms around each other,
stood to watch
the hammering glow.

Now, come the cold days,
we’ll remember such heat,
recall the blaze that obliterated—
at least for a while—
a larger, darker horizon.