One of the Ways

It is one of the many ways to enter fire.
~ Mary Oliver

And, yes, we enter,

either by our own volition

or the command of the gods.

And then we flare,

a small frenzy of color,

until we are finished --

a glowing silhouette,

ready for what awaits --

the sunlit music of the world

with its insistent curves

and turnings,

or else

a withdrawal,

the all-consuming silence

that comes only

to those

who have known

the flames.