Pain

a friend of mine
(whom i have long lost to time's flame,
and can no longer claim,
but who serves as the
only one i could attribute this to)
she once said:
pain is a lonely and sad boy
encircled by a ring of flames.
he sees the world through
flickers and waves
and in eavesdropped laughter
hears a sound that saves
or he thinks it can,
he thinks it can.
but at his approach
voices wilt and melt away
like so much straw
and soon he is where they were
but he is alone
in a blasted empty place
that barely tolerates his touch.
...
"i fell into a burning ring of fire.
i fell down down down as the flames raged higher.
and it burns burns burns
that ring of fire
that ring of fire."
-johnny cash