I sit, waiting and agonizing in pain
until the doctor returns.
It’s dark, too dark. Voices buzz through my ears
and the stench of burnt skin stings my nostrils.
Running my hand over the bandages,
I remember.


Screams from unseen people fill the air.
Frantic runners crowd the street,
the city erupts in mayhem.
A loud explosion sends vibrations through
the Earth, bringing us to our knees.
Once long, slick, and black, my hair burns,
the heat excruciating.
Rolling on the ground in panic,
everything goes black.

Here I am,
feeling for the hair that no longer drapes
my shoulders.
I wait, my world surrounded in white gauze,
And I wonder when I’ll ever see me again.