Before he fell asleep in my arms
by the campfire again
he saw something in the flames.
First a cat, then a monster,
then a burning tree, the same he
climbed earlier in the afternoon,
high enough to look out
at Pike’s Peak and see the snow
still holding strong in late June,
his dad down below
with a blanket tied around the neck
as a cheap superhero.
After I tuck him in the tent
I toss another log on and start
to see things too. My father.
His father. My son as a father,
embers of generations
specked into the wind; men
staring long enough
to remember who they are.
KG Newman is a sportswriter who covers the Rockies and Broncos for The
Denver Post. His first two collections of poems, *While Dreaming of
Diamonds in Wintertime* and *Selfish Never Get Their Own*, are available on
Amazon and his third collection is forthcoming from The Nasiona Press. The
Arizona State University alum is on Twitter @KyleNewmanDP and more info and
writing can be found at kgnewman.com.
