The Bonfire. [NATURE]

It begins slowly. A little paper and a little kindling from the endless hours of splitting the Michigan hardwoods. No fuels or fire starting products needed. Just some old fashioned ingenuity and nice dry wood. It begins small, just a few crumpled up papers and some small pieces of red oak and hickory. The smell of the hickory with the red oak is a quite pleasant one to those who love campfires.

As the fire builds we begin to add more logs in the typical tipi fashion. Within minutes we have a towering inferno who's flames are trying to reach for the stars. The flames climb just high enough to razzle the tree branches above, and force them to separate and curl away from the searing heat. The fire is burning bright and it is now time to enjoy.

We place our chairs around the fire keeping a good distance due to the extreme heat roaring from the flames. The logs crackling and poping as the heat and the flames begin to transform them into carbon. The smell has grown stronger and is still yet soothing. The heat feels like a warmth that could only come from pure nature. There is no heat like that of a campfire.

As the fire burns down, we find ourselves moving closer as the heat retreats to a smaller circumference. Most of the logs have now been turned to chunks of burning coals with a mix of red and white. I stir the fire with my long spear of a pole and there is a circle of warmth thrown outwards as I situate the coals for the main show of the night.

As the fire pit filled with red hot coals we added the old christmas lights. It only took a few seconds to begin to see the beautiful colors begin to appear. First just a white hot flash as the plastic melts away, then the blue hues of the metals begin to slowly rise up until they dominate the fire. At this point the green hues begin to appear and a beautiful sight arises before our eyes.

We spend the next twenty minutes reveling in the beauty of what nature and the ingenuity of man can create. We had our own personal light show with front row seats.

After the light show we load the pit with the large punky logs that will burn and sustain us through the night. The great heat returns as the logs begin to burn in unison. There shall be no cold sleep tonight with this great fire before us.

Most people sit around watching television or playing video games during their leisure time and tend to forget the wonders and general comforts that are provided by nature. A bonfire is a great example of nature at work and will live on to be my favorite pass time as I hope it will for many others.

The bonfire burns bright, into the great starry night, and warms the body and soul.
The flames reach high, Into the dark night sky, and make us all feel whole.

It crackles and pops, and dances off the crops, it's shadows a life of their own.
It's coals grow hot, it marks our spot, on this land that we call our home.

It brings comfort and joy, and all seem to enjoy, the gifts of the great bonfire.
It burns through the night, like a bright beacon of light, until it's time to retire.

reply to post by usmc0311


Been there and done that a billion times. You have captured those times perfectly. Bonfire building is the same in Ohio as it is in Michigan.

You are also getting a bit introspective also, creating these analogies depicting the meaning of said "ritual". Awesome. You have to do it to understand, but you explain it very well.

SnF.

reply to post by Druid42


Thanks. Nature is so easy to write about when it's something you love and are passionate about. I think I'm going to go hike murder mountain with my dog today so maybe I will write about it later.