48. Fire

Hard and black is my home,

Hard as a rock and black as night.

But scarlet and gold am I,

Delicate, warm and bright.

For long years I lie,

A prisoner in the dark,

But at last I break my fetters

In a rush of flame and spark.

First a tree and then a rock

Is the house where I sleep.

Let out, like a demon

I crackle and hiss and leap.

                          James Reeves