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.