Why does my cup of tea warm up?

For a fiery chemical reaction

Need Oxygen, need wood.

Surely there’s more

to being on fire

Otherwise all the trees should?

Need heat, need energy.

Match or friction

Something aflame.

Fuel decomposed,

Off the gas goes.

That makes me wonder again…

All those chemicals reacting,

Out comes the heat

And the heat emits light

As the molecules excite

Incandescence is the word,

It seems pretty neat.

Ash left behind

The bits that don’t burn.

Carbon stays too

Slow and smokeless

I’ve learned.

The fire keeps on burning

Until no fuel left to go.

Gravity plays a part

In this glowing light show,

Heat rises, gas rises

That flame shape I see,

Particles of soot and smoke

Glowing red hot

Warming you.

Warming me.

And my cup of tea.

References

Harris, T. (No Date) How Fire Works

Jensen, S. (2013) Is fire a solid, a liquid, or a gas?

Minutephysics. (2011) What is fire?