Baptism of Fire

The day when the work was done
and dusted pavements spoke volumes
about the ashes of our alphabet
when the fire was mightier than the pen
as language and conversation died
to better cater for short attentions.
 
The day the music of letters died
killed by all too common consensus
of slaves to tablets and images
more come with emoji  
than overcome with emotion like I
whose written word was not outlawed.
 
Yet from that fire of ignorance
I salvaged an ember of intelligence
and fought fire with fire
to go on to preach fiery poetic rhetoric
and inspiring prose to the populace
that burns and flames only make stronger.
 
In the past I would have holed up with a book
cocooned in blissful ignorance by fantasy
only to wake up and smell the burning leaves
and make the itinerant information my reality
delivering hot topic bars of oration
akin to the past wordsmiths.
 
My words and others are the flames of fury
that will burn this idiotic corruption out
it will cleanse in fire that which generates ire
a guiding light burning bright as the north star
to cauterise this wound upon our species
into which new writing will be emblazoned.
 
I speak with fervour for the word
a message and story in this daftness
where kindle is king and smartphones bear no intelligence
and I enkindle in others this flame wreathed frenzy
its touch scorching scalding and scolding the illiterate
burning them as they burned the beloved literature.