Flame On!

I love phoenixes. They are a symbol of hope, especially for someone like me who has to deal with health issues. I imagine job loss, heartbreak, etc can also be helped some by the thought of the creature that rises from its own ashes.
I painted this and a few other glasses to serve as candle holders. They are painted with the same durable, dishwasher safe paints I use on my wineglasses-- speaking of which I have added 3 Christmas themed pairs of wineglasses to my shop.

I wrote this poem several years ago.

Each Life, a Phoenix
by Helen Krummenacker

Though rage may leap insatiable as fire,
And dark despair like smoke engulf the skies,
The blaze of pain will not become a pyre,
For even anguish meets its own demise.

The human heart endures beyond breaking
And human minds can dream beyond defeat,
For there is joy in toil and retaking
The field from which we were thrown in retreat.

For life is like a phoenix, ever new,
Reborn amidst the ashes of despair.
Each loss is an au revoir, not an adieu—
Even ones which seem beyond repair.

For phoenixes we are all; we have no end.
Not even death will last; life must return.
So with the faith that ev’ry wound shall mend
What matters is our courage while we burn.

The fires have not scorched me very near
And yet I know the flames approach, sublime
And I will lose my treasures, not with fear,
But with the hope to rise higher next time.