I tremor this prayer
while the knowing flame quakes,
and velvet as the night,
my voice carries your name.
I breathe it over ashes,
I hum it into smoke-
my prayer lives within the fire
that furls and chokes.
Your smile is painted
into my song’s melodies,
and the lapping red tongues
twirl its tune readily.
I tremor this prayer
as the wet wax burns low,
and like a seeping chorus
your symphony flows.