Fire in the Night | Teen Ink

Fire in the Night

June 3, 2010
By lacrosseguy26 SILVER, Huntsville, Alabama
lacrosseguy26 SILVER, Huntsville, Alabama
8 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"A man can pick a fight with anyone, it takes a real man to walk away from a fight."
- Coach Woods, 8th grade P.E. coach


Open the valves turn on the hose,
Support that building before the roof goes.
Bash open the windows, bury your hatchet.
Fire’s the disease; pray the people don’t catch it.
Turn on your oxygen and strap on your mask,
The captain takes a quick swig of his flask.
Crash through the front door and examine your space,
Best hurry up or the roof falls on this place.
Hear the cries of those in the next room,
Your vision is weakened, your stuck in the gloom.
You try to find your bearings and save precious lives,
The fire cuts open your suit, cutting like knives.
You find a small child next to a young mother,
Across the room are a father and a scared brother.
You pick up the child and command the rest,
Through the deep flames, the child grips to your breast.
The rest leave the house and escape the fire,
Against you and the child the flames do conspire.
You release the child and he runs out the door,
You hear the cracking and breaking of the weak floor.
Jump through the window with one final breath,
One more second and your fate would be death.
Collapse to the ground and breathe in fresh air,
You avoided certain death and avoided certain despair.
Never before has there been such a saint,
Actions so bold, yet character so quaint.
Don’t forget the lives you’ve saved and all you have done,
Just a part of the job, a part of day-to-day fun.

The author's comments:
One of my most influential hockey coaches was a firefighter, Coach Blair. I always remember him talking about his firefighting training courses and how difficult they were. This is my poem to him, honoring his job and what he does.

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