There’s a demon flame inside his heart
He spends all his energy to contain
The warmth will spread light in the dark
Knowing that what’s said will remain
He communes with the cats curled up cold
In the snow, that’s where children will play
The dogs are cautiously cool to the fire
Only a fool would look the other way
When the past catches up, as it always does
So two flames will dance a final duet
The ghost of the sword must be laid to rest
The flame extinguished by the mud and the wet
I recently finished reading the eight volumes of the Bamboo Samurai by Taiyō Matsumoto and for some reason, this week’s picture at MFFFC brought the story to mind.
1994ever 
The dogs are cautiously cool to the fire
Love that!
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Thanks Catherin 🙏
In the story the cats and dogs are often having little side conversations with little snippets of animal wisdom.
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Your poem carries a rich undercurrent and the vivid imagery draws us into a world of internal struggle and reflection ❤️
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I’m glad that came across a little. In the story, the Bamboo Samurai is constantly trying to keep his demon down, and chooses to be a teacher for the local children, but the ghosts of his past keep haunting him until finally another demon comes for a showdown.
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That makes a lot of sense 🙌
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Great poem, Shaun! The rhyming works really well in this poem.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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Thanks Yvette 🙏
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