Campfire Dreams

Got my tarp, my flint, my knife
Ready to outlive modern life
Built a lean-to in thirty tries
Watched six reels on “how not to die”

Set my pack beside a pine
Marked my trail with homemade twine
Found a stick that kinda broke
But it’s enough to stir my oat

"Campfire dreams"

But no flame allowed
Just whisperin’ leaves and a fireless cloud

"Campfire dreams"

With a spark in mind
But forest law says: Leave no sign

Brought my axe (but just to pose)
Can’t chop wood where the green still grows
Used dead branches, snapped with care
Like the handbook said somewhere

"Campfire dreams"

But no flame allowed
Even smoke would scream too loud

"Campfire dreams"

So I toast my tales with cold can beans
Wrapped in stars and ranger screens

Nature ain’t your film set scene
It don’t need nails or kerosene
No wild blaze to warm the night
The quiet’s burnin’ just as bright

"Campfire dreams"

Singin’ low in the sleeping trees
With rulebook pages in the breeze

"Campfire dreams"

Still worth the chill, still worth the hike
Even if the fire’s just in my mic

So pack it in, pack it out
Let the wild stay wild, no doubt
Light no flame, but hearts ignite
In campfire dreams by northern light

No smoke, still glowing