Fire Quote by John Edgar Wideman

““I wonder how far away it is somebody should know somebody should find out and tell people cause I’m sure they want to know look at them both closer to my fire now and both looking at the flames I wonder what it feels like to burn it if always hurts once your hand is in it deep and if it pops and sparks like wood and if the color is the same and if it hurts and where does it go if you keep it in smoke rises through the trees to the sky towards the black roof where the sun will come if the sun comes tomorrow does it hurt or smell and how high up the smoke kids do it stick their hands right in you gotta keep them away or they’ll do it like buys who get too close and burn up I see why they try once why they want to touch I can see it in Eddie’s eyes in the white man’s eyes that stare at the flame they want to touch to put them in and see if it keeps hurting I can understand why kids do it cause I want to touch myself just like one I want to put my hand in I want to go to smoke and see how high…””

— John Edgar Wideman