Away in the distance, Away before the pain...
Still too shocked to see, Still looking back!
Memories in solid form, Memories in the mind.
Tangible precious family treasures, Tangible blackened by FIRE!
Lazy sleep-in morning; Lazy heavy black smoke..
Grab daughters, keys, wallet;
Grabbed by FIRE the rest!
See fire lines, slight; See fire run up outside wall.
Explosion from inside; Explosion of our past.
Walk away to safety; Walking fire destroys!
Call 911 for help; Call 911 as you were taught.
Too long to arrive; Too much fire and smoke.
Exploding windows and leaping flames; Exploding our past in fiery leaps!
Cry, holler,demand fire extinguish; Cry, holler, demand falls on volunteer team!
Please spray water on flames; please be calm they say.
Watch the flames happily leap; Watch our Past unhappily fall!
Pace around the sitting firemen; Pace as they sit and talk.
Hey, there is fire underneath; Hey, they say, it just has to burn!????
Walk away into street; Walk away tears streaming.
Lots of neighbors watch and chatter; Lots of flames happily devour!
Homes around stand tall; Home afire black and sloppy!
Foam finally sprayed into burned shell; Foam white now black sludge!
Walk onto smoky porch; Walk into black sludgy nightmare.
See the fire is out; See crumpled, water-soaked BURNED RUIN!!!
Fire out as firemen smile and leave; Fire burned itself out as firemen sat!
Walk carefully thru the ruin; Walk into an unimagined nightmare scene!
Loved furniture proud; Loved furniture black wet melted sludgy heaps.
My china hutch is where? My china hutch is a blackened ruined chunk...
4 years ago a large U-Haul to move here; today,
4 boxes filled with smokey survivors small remnants of family treasures!!!!
About This Poem:
( Fire on 23 December 2002!! )
