You
might
.
h
a
v
e
.
heard
.
t
h
a
t
.
I
.
burn
.
t
h
e
.
curve . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ I
burn
.
t
h
e
.
curve,
.
.
a
n
d
.
.
blur . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
burn
.
t
h
e
.
curve,
–
–
when
.
t
h
e
.
turn
.
i
s
.
unsure . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
burn
.
t
h
e
.
curve,
–
–
when
.
h
u
r
t
.
becomes
.
t
h
e
.
cure . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ when
.
h
u
r
t
.
becomes
.
t
h
e
.
cure . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
burn
.
t
h
e
.
curve . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
burn
.
t
h
e
.
curve . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
burn
.
t
h
e
.
curve . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
f
o
r
–
–
–
anything
observed,
–
–
might
truly
.
b
e
.
worse . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
o
r
–
–
–
deserve
.
m
o
r
e
.
worth
.
t
h
a
n
.
wants,
–
–
whispers,
.
o
r
.
words . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
there
.
a
r
e
.
times,
–
–
when
.
a
detour
–
–
better
serves,
.
.
t
h
a
n
.
.
a
yield
.
o
r
.
a
merge . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
s
o
–
–
–
before
.
y
o
u
.
surrender . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ surrender
.
t
o
.
the
urge . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
consider
.
w
h
a
t
.
you’ve
heard,
.
a
n
d
.
learn . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
f
o
r
–
–
–
I
burn
.
i
t
.
baby,
–
–
burn . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ I
burn
.
t
h
e
.
curve . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
blur.
Reflection: This was a personal struggle-themed poem I wrote back in August of 2019 where the affected party frequently lives on the edge of life – and slows down for no one. And we’re left to wonder where he or she might end up. I played the wonderful song “The Only Thing” by Zola Blood in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it. The poem was born from the lyric: “fast on the curve” (actually the words were “resting on a curve” but I had not realized that) – I changed that tiny phrase to “burning the curve,” and the rest of the poem wrote itself from that.