Monday, July 18, 2011

Entry #63

The Burn
by Roger Dale Trexler


I see it burning in the distance. A warm, red, inviting glow. It is always there, just out of reach. I reach for it anyway. I have no choice. Not to reach would be tantamount to surrender, and I am not ready to surrender.

Not yet.

Not ever.

But I have been burned by it before. It is the worst kind of burn; a burn that does not heal. A burn that leaves a scar on your soul. A damage that cannot be repaired.

I reach for it again.

I must.

I long for nothing more than to draw it close to my heart, nestle it until it becomes a part of me. Only then will I feel whole.

I turn away, afraid. But I must be strong. I need to be strong. I look back. It burns. It burns with warmth beyond heat. It is so alluring, so desirable. It is something that everyone longs for, but so few ever achieve. I want to achieve it. I want to be the exception. Can I please be the exception, God?

Please?

I reach out. It is so close now. So terribly, terribly close. Electricity dances through me as I draw near.

I am afraid.

Will it be right this time? Or will it be just another burn on my heart?

I don’t know, and that is the hell of it.

It is love and I must reach for it.

….Even if it burns.

16 comments:

Aimee Laine said...

This was really nice. There's this longing that comes through each word as it plays from one moment to the next. I really liked it!

SzélsőFa said...

lots of psychological insight here! ;)

fairyhedgehog said...

I was wondering what it was that the narrator yearned for! This has the feeling of the huge risk it is to love.

Precie said...

I love that ending. Love it. Nicely done all around.

Unknown said...

Nice...could feel the longing, and to find out it was love. Burned by love. Poetic.

Dottie :)

Old Kitty said...

Poor soul! I love the voice - a very complex story, thank you. Take care
x

bluesugarpoet said...

It reads like an addition - and isn't love like that too? ~Jana

Katherine Tomlinson said...

The rhythm, the pacing here is just perfect, and then the stinger--that last line. Love hurts!! I enjoyed this story very much.

Linda Ryan-Harper said...

What a wise soul to reach for the consuming fire albeit with trepidation and a lukewarm spirit, for he/she knows that God commands it: Work out you own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that works within you. And God is Love. This concludes today's sermonette entitled: "Reflections on 'The Burn' by Roger Dale Trexler."

Richard Levangie said...

Such simplicity of prose, but such depth of feeling. I enjoyed reading it.

Michael Morse said...

Nice tension building, drew me in and satisfied at the end. Can't ask for more than that! Thank you.

Michele Zugnoni said...

There's a certain rhythmic lyricism to this piece that bubbles through the page, evoking emotion and deepseated longing within your reader. It brought your tale to life, as did your vivid descriptions. Excellent.

Thank you for sharing!

JaneyV said...

I was having a conversation today about the risk we take when we make ourselves vulnerable enough to love another. For the damaged heart it is far more difficult to let go. But the payoff is so desirable it is worth it... to be loved in return.

I think your character summed it up perfectly here.

Jade L Blackwater said...

"Mama always told me never to look into the eyes of the sun.... but mama.... that's where the fun iiiiiis!"

Jade L Blackwater said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRtAJy2nFVM

Anonymous said...

A common metaphor, but you took it to a fresh place. Not easy! I liked that it had a real sense of motion and time, not just "telling" or an essay.

Congrats on Forties Club!