I sat in that dark room with nothing
but the fire spreading light
like a neon sign,
the woman poised in her grand arm chair
palms facing me.
When I removed the book from her shelf
I couldn’t help but notice the bleak
wall staring back at me
while I held its mask in my hands.
The smell of that smoke will always
bring me back,
I swear to God I only spent those years
learning for you.
I can’t exactly explain what I gained
with the heat on my face, but I can promise you
I will give you my love as long and consistently
as the swift strokes in a Reichen piece.