You who move through my mind like lantern light—
not single flame revealing limited
space—but mass of Thai lamps gleaming in flight
at Yi Peng festival, exhibited
in San Sai, north of Chiang Mai. Their paper-
shell frames lift like hot-air balloons, cover
the sky as giant fireflies, their tapers
expanding with height, and—like true lovers—
sometimes ignite as they rise, exploding
supernovas flaring bright-white signals
through cosmos—defining while imploding
within each other’s body integral
effervescence of creation. Tell me
how we burn as they when we meet. Show me.
Roger Armbrust
March 8, 2013
