two bright points
as eyes did peer
glowing within the coals of my campfire
and i asked of them
for something new under the sun

and as i waited
for a message
from those fiery folk
i perceived:

the trickle of a brook splashing down the rocks
the honking of the geese protecting their young
the hissing of the train a’waiting
the sullen roar of highway traffic
the crashing waves upon the shore
the tolling of church bells in distant village
the cheers of the people on their balconies
the sirens of emergency responders

the glowing of those fiery coals
shifted from white to yellow to orange to red
deepening in the gathering darkness
as sunset faded behind the jagged mountain peaks
a waning sliver of moon
set in the stary wash of pleiades
dogs howling in the distance
a child asking her parents why

and there was nothing new under the sun
as time spun one more circle
and it was all stunning perfection
exactly the way that it was

i got some water from the lake
and splashed it upon the remnants of the fire
fading within the cooling stone portal
steam sizzling into the evening sky
flames giving up the ghost
i took my last sip of wine
tied up my boots
and staggered back into town