A sea of small fires

A man from the village of Neguá, on the coast of Colombia, could go up to the high heaven.
And, upon his return, he said
That he had contemplated, from high above,
the life of humans.
And he said that we are like a sea of small fires.
– The world is like that -he revealed.
A lot of people, a sea of small fires.
Each person shines with his or her own light among all the rest.

There are no two identical fires.
There are large fires and small fires
and fires of all colours.
Some people’s fires are serene and their flames do not flicker in the wind,
and other people’s fires go crazy, spreading sparks all over.
Some fires, foolish fires, do not give off light or burn;
but others, others burn through life with such passion
that you cannot look at them without blinking,
and whoever gets close will light up.

(Eduardo Galeano, El libro de los abrazos)

(Translated by Mertxe de Renobales)