the bonfire

I remove my clothes.
put them into a pile and burn
them.
I take my books,
my shoes,
my hat. I throw
them into the fire.
I take everything I've ever
written, every poem,
every letter
and toss it all into
the rising flames.
I carry out a box of memories
and drop them
on the fire.
I've given up on this world.
I want a new life.
one without
the past, without the shame,
the guilt,
the pain.
I want the bonfire of my
vanities
to burn away.
I want the ashes to be
buried deep into the earth
where i'll never
see or think of them again.