Bonfire

Flames flicker, reach for the sky.

Sparks twinkle ‘gainst the black night.

Burning wood spits, splits, crackles

Heat seers faces. Backs are cold.

Wood smoke drifts, a lazy haze

Evocative smells assail.

I dream of hard, sweet toffee,

Sausages, crisp potatoes.

Rockets bang, whoosh, bursting to

Circles of bright coloured stars,

Fade, disappear, forgotten.

Children wave fizzing sparklers,

Explosive booms, whizzing swirls

Darting, hurtling, shrieking,

Senses reeling.

Dying ember.

Come again next November.

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