It was a slow fire at first,

Climbing up the sides of the school,

Like the vines along a building’s walls.

And for some time, nobody cried.

It was silent, our voices extinguished by shock,

Our horror obliterating the words from our mouths,

Our eyes dry and our hands numb as time slowed,

Until suddenly,

The screams were wrenched from our throats.

Tears painted the floors of our rooms,

And our arms were bound around each other like rope.

We shook as earthquakes raked through our bodies,

The pain excruciating as our lungs suffocated,

But if we let go, it would be so much worse alone.

By noon everyone had left the building,

Their pain too much for their hearts alone to bear,

That they thought it best to share the grief at home.

Your ghost followed me down my walk that day.

As I looked at the bright yellow sun above me,

I decided the rays were fake compared to yours.