2008-06-10 - 3:26 p.m.
A siren breaks the silence,
piercing through my solitude.
i part the blinds to take a peek,
and suddenly i cease to breath-
Pillars of smoke wafting through the haze-
Tongues of flame shooting from the window,
biting, ripping, fighting with the brick.
Trucks screaming, water flying,
and everywhere i look- tense faces;
slumped shoulders and furrowed brows,
sweat pouring from their tired bodies as they rush to stem the blaze.
And then, at last, control; an end to the frantic chaos.
And i stand there, gawking at the destruction-
so close and yet so far.
My safety buffered by a parking lot.
The last remnants of smoke are seeping from the windows,
flowing like ichor from a wound.
Charred brick and broken glass are all that's left,
shutters melted, dripping down the ruined face-
an image burned into my memory.
