do not touch the burning girl
she is no angel
no savior
but she is here for you
her eyes, so warm
of brimstone and coal
the hearth’s touch
and rampant steel

do not touch the burning girl
she fell from the angels
to cold for their pyre
to warm for their patience
they were unmoved by mortals
“all the good come,” they said
“all the good come”
but she was tired of waiting

do not touch the burning girl
but follow her
where the outcasts of the world dance in light
not cold and cool
cast from the judgement of the pious
but of rebellion
reinvention
and taboo

do not touch the burning girl
her sword is alight
but the flames are not holy ones
“who would leave paradise
for a lifetime in the dark?”
she smiles
her eyes twin candles
“you do not need salvation
to live in the light”