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Bexsy My grandmother,
Being a grandmother,
Spoke in the language
Of old Hollywood films.
“I hear you have a new flame”.
She would say
To express interest
In my romantic adventures.
What a perfect phrase!
A “girlfriend” is neither of those things,
Not really,
While a flame is exactly that.
A flame brings light.
A flame is full of color—
Orange, yellow, red, gray, blue.
A flame provides heat,
And may unpredictably
Explode into fire,
A flame is dangerous
And fragile.
When a flame is gone,
A tendril of smoke lingers,
Slowly dissolving
While leaving a bit of itself behind.
