Jack Cooper
has written for television, film and the stage. His awards include, winner,
Palabra Productions 2006 National Poetry Month Contest and runner-up,
Georgetown Review 2006 Writing Contest. His poetry has appeared in
The Evansville Review,
White Pelican Review,
Georgetown Review,
The Meridian Anthology,
Poesia,
Tundra,
Poet Lore,
Runes,
The Aurorean,
Albatross
and others.
Fire
You can’t have a little jar of wind
or a bowl of lake.
No such thing as a pet cloud
or a private wave,
or a corner in the living room just for moonlight.
But you can have
your very own furious fire
right next to you
as you read and gaze
and sift your thoughts through cognac.
Having a fire is like having a caged tiger.
If you don’t feed it
it will die.
If it escapes confinement
it can eat you alive.
Fire is a reminder of
of terror, wildness and mortality,
of caves and clans and family.
It is a beast challenging your control,
daring you to be happy.
But it is not your friend and lover,
and you know this on a winter day
holding your glass with both hands,
you know this because fire you can get back
anytime it goes away.
jk_cooper@hotmail.com
