Remembrance in Midsummer
As the bonfires rage, I stare into the flames
and remember. I remember my friends, their names
forever etched in my mind. It seems so long
ago that I left what was once my home. Is it wrong
to have chosen this unlife? Better this than the curse
that others I grew up with chose. It’s certainly no worse
than the other option. In fact, I’d say it’s better
to “live” this life with a rocky, albeit checkered,
past than to suffer endlessly. Their memories
will always be with me, even as the centuries
come and go. The flame, the coals, the embers.
I’ll never forget, and they’ll always remember.
-John Graves Morris III