The forest greets a new day,

Sunlight beams penetrate through lilac canopies of serenity

Somewhere, a river gurgles―water rushes down a stream

Timber, gnarled trunks knot and blossom

You see a spark, a small flame

You draw close as it whispers your name,

The faint echoes of destruction permeate through the air,

Hanging in the shadows, mist rising higher

The flames rise higher and higher,

Higher and higher, until all you can see are the licking tendrils

Tendrils of a fiery dragon spitting its two-fanged venom

The flames surround you, a wall of security

Your feet trod dangerously upon the line,

Burns inked upon bare skin, and a sharp pang down your spine

The glorious face of a monster victorious appears in the flames

Your feet dig into the ground, a pathway shown

Legs run heavily down hillsides, veins tinged with fire

Fire, it is everywhere; it is all around you.

Soon, you will become a part of the fire, it whispers

You run faster and faster, not ready to surrender

Barbed wire entangles your chipped toes,

You fall down the hillside, mud-caked orbs of light

Muscles throb, yet you push yourself back up

This is not the end.

The end of who―you? You have been long-dead,

The roar of a lion resides in your heart, but you are numb

Your paper lungs fold. Iron rust sinks into your soles,

The sky darkens above; it is almost over, just a few more ―

Fire dances on your skin, curving around your neck

Veins constricted, palpitating heart, beads of sweat

Death is cold and haunting, gaunt faces―

You, your lion’s heart will save you and destroy you;

Death looks upon you, mud-caked eyes, blood painted fingers,

It has come to destroy you then.

You nod and greet Death like an old friend.