Gray stone arches hold the cold
Stories of the soil unfold
I tend to the blackened seed
Giving it the warmth it needs
Burn the ember, wake the bloom
Lighting up this hollow room
Steady heat and heavy sound
Rooted deep in frozen ground
Sallow stems of ancient weed
Waiting for a dormant lead
Sooty air and heavy haze
Counting down the lonely days
Latin names for dying vines
Tracing all the jagged lines
Humus thick beneath my feet
Where the salt and cinder meet
Burn the ember, wake the bloom
Lighting up this hollow room
Steady heat and heavy sound
Rooted deep in frozen ground
Slow the pulse and hold the breath
Life is pulling back from death
One small spark in heavy gray
Driving all the ghosts away
Watch the orange flicker glow
Teaching every seed to grow
Patience in the stony bed
Where the dormant hopes were fed
Burn the ember, wake the bloom
Lighting up this hollow room
Steady heat and heavy sound
Rooted deep in frozen ground
Hold the light.
Rooted deep.
Ash and root.
