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Incinerate

The Last Flame Challenge

By Angie the Archivist 📚🪶Published 2 months ago 1 min read
Top Story - December 2025
Incinerate
Photo by Erick Zajac on Unsplash

The Fool

loudly contends

“There’s no danger in

‘Playing with fire’!

A little harmless fun

never hurt any one!

Right?”

*

Fire

ushered in

like a friend so true

unfolds a warm

comforting blanket

in flickering tongues of many a hue.

Cosy.

*

Flames

flare, flitter and flow

a cloud of golden butterflies

dance and mesmerise

lift spirits, link souls

warm hands and hearts as campfire yarns are

Spun.

*

Fire’s

an obliging buddy

Except when ‘Play’

runs amok.

Matches are struck

foolhardy fingers get

Singed.

*

Home and hearth

are torched by

careless comments cast

upon the four winds

lives burnt by wagging tongues

Gossip’s malicious

Inferno.

*

“Playing with fire”

dangerous desire

raging out of control

like a ravenous bushfire

annihilates far more than the Fool who strikes the match.

They, along with their whole world…

Incinerate.

*

Verbal Arson!

Avoidable devastation

callous destruction!

Well placed Trust and timely Truth quench

Envy and Evil until

one enduring ember glows… then

Winks out.

*

Written for The Last Flame challenge:

fact or fiction

About the Creator

Angie the Archivist 📚🪶

Labrador‘s personality🐕‍🦺… attention span of a gnat! 🙃

Top Stories: Race Against Time; Elusive Parkrun; Painting Pandemonium

The Quandry; A Parade Of Shoes; Shadow of You; Her Majesty Mia

Not My Wake; Sauerkraut; Incinerate

Reindeer Ride

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

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Comments (12)

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  • Susan Paytonabout a month ago

    Great poem Angie. I was reminded of this last night. The neighbors were doing fire works out in the street in front of my house, - the sparks were flying in my yard. Great quote of Jays -" incinerate ... incarcerate". Flames flare, flitter and flow, ----Congratulations on Top Story- Well deserved. Although I would like to incinerate a few people with words.

  • Tim Carmichael2 months ago

    I really liked how you showed that fire can be both cozy and dangerous. Your message about how words can hurt like a fire is very powerful and important. It is a great reminder for everyone to be kind. Congratulations on your Top Story!

  • Aarsh Malik2 months ago

    The extended fire metaphor is brilliantly sustained each stanza adds heat, consequence and moral clarity.

  • Jay Kantor2 months ago

    Dear Angie - Good to see you back in the VillageBucket. We have a family vacation beach house, and on the 4th always do fireworks on the sand. This year, the roving police patrol made a subtle comment, Quote: "Incinerate~Incarcerate." Best, jk.in.l.a.

  • Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

  • Lana V Lynx2 months ago

    Great poem, Angie! I particularly liked the "verbal fire" metaphor. A lot of times, people forget how devastatingly scorching the power of words can be.

  • Lamar Wiggins2 months ago

    Nicely done, Angie! 🤩 Best of luck! And I really loved this line: - lives burnt by wagging tongues Gossip’s malicious Inferno.-

  • Whoaaaa, this was so intense and deep! Loved your poem!

  • Andrea Corwin 2 months ago

    Nice job, Angie. The way we can incinerate someone with words… playing with fire is dangerous. Well said in this beautiful poem.

  • And that's what happens when we play with it instead of respect it! Beautiful, Angie.

  • Tiffany Gordon2 months ago

    Fabulous writing Angie!

  • Sandy Gillman2 months ago

    I love the way this builds, and burns!

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