The Ring of Fire

All light is eclipsed
nothing but a burning ring remains
arc of white and fire at the edge of darkness
shadow against light
black sun in the sky

Spinning into aether
heart in my mouth
I fade sideways from my desk
as the screen burns
circles
into my eyes
and carries me off into quiet darkness
nothingness
the hollow blank look of despair
upon my face
marked with faint trace
of ozone
the nightmares are now all gone
replaced by a blank sense of pain after pain
and life after life
rejoice
rejoice
we have no choice

but to carry on
the light like dawn
flooding out from
the ring of fire
the black cold gone, replaced by warm
all the natives
smiled

When we gave them back their sun