Seventeen, finally out of school
Ready to get out of the house
Away from my father’s abusing hands
Away from my mother’s drugs
Out of the house, alone in my own home.
Leaving behind what was my past
Starting for a new future;
Though the scars will always remind me
Of how much trouble I’ve lived through
Now I know it was all worth it
But sleeping at night in the apartment
Waking to my door breaking open
Waking to the heat in my face
Seeing the smoke, thinking it’s a dream
Trying to crawl out,
Gasping for air
Smoke filing into the apartment
Feeling another body
Picking me up, carrying me away
Feeling the cold winds
After the fiery heat inside
“One, Two, Three: Breath”
They try to save me
With one final pump they try,
And my final breath escapes me.