I walked down to my neighbor’s
For a night of family and friends
But what I found
Was nothing but charred earth.

The fire was as big as a bush
The heat that radiated
Singed my skin like the midday sun
In June.

Staring into the embers
I lost myself in its destruction
Becoming one with every pop of wood,
Contouring myself on every lick of flame.

I enter a world of ages past
A world of destruction
A world of frustration
A world of conflagration.

Exploring the burning city-scape
I hear nothing but cries of sorrow
To a spark that killed hundreds
And set a city ablaze.

Martial law does nothing to control
Like a mustang, it travels with the wind
Crumbling buildings in its molten fist
And pillaging an unsuspecting people.

Their cries were interrupted by the laughter of the children
My neighbor’s children; they want to play now
I left my place beside the smoldering pine
To entertain those who would never know the burn.