Embers to Stars
A poem by Ken Gierke

Embers to Stars

On a still night, flames rise
from crackling maple into thin smoke
that wafts upward in a loose spiral,
coaxed ever higher by glowing embers
that lie in the pockets between
those slowly settling logs. We sit
in a circle, feeling the warmth
seep into us, push against
the chill pressing into our backs.

Talk of the day’s events behind us,
we gaze into the sky in awed silence,
a wordless communion blessed
by a blanket of stars, those flames
now as if nothing. Even as the fire
is reduced to embers, the night’s chill
has no effect, for what could rival
a brilliance that inspires the imagination,
kindles wonder that knows no bounds
as it blazes across the sky?

About the Author:

Ken Gierke is retired and writes primarily in free verse and haiku, often inspired by hiking and kayaking. His poetry has been published or is forthcoming in print and online in such places as Ekphrastic Review, Amethyst Review, Silver Birch Press, Trailer Park Quarterly, Rusty Truck, The Gasconade Review, and River Dog Zine. Glass Awash, his first collection of poetry, was published by Spartan Press in 2022. His website: https://rivrvlogr.com/

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