Singed but still flying

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

Aldus Dumbledore in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone


Floating through the night I sense it is there,
At first a faint glimmer I'm uncertain from quite where.
Drawing nearer I feel a warmth my body desires,
Until finally its beauty fills my slowly focusing eyes.
Turning quickly to approach and it calls to my heart,
My mind warns of danger only doing its part.
The closer I become the more I am drawn to be near,
Alarms go unheeded that normally inspire wariness and fear.
Bathed in the brilliance of its intense warmth and light,
My body and my mind reel with exquisite delight.
As suddenly as it began its nature quickly changed.
Searing pain wracks my mind now all but deranged.
Struggling to understand how such a marvel can hurt,
I must decide very quickly or be hopelessly burnt.
Turning away I am saved not a moment to spare,
The pain abates slowly leaving only an aching despair.
To that beauty and warmth I want to return,
My mind screams to be careful or you will certainly burn.
Looking back with great longing I turn on a wing,
I wish very much I could be with this incredible thing.
Battered and singed but still flying I leave,
Remembering only the beauty I silently grieve.
Will I ever know the joy I just turned away from,
Perhaps, but for now it does surely seem it is done.