all bang no whimper
it was an ordinary crash
each car tangled into
a web of metal and shards
maybe there was a fire
i walked out
and you got on your knees
to give your life to christ
the hotel had a full-length mirror
and for the first time in nearly a decade
i looked upon my own flesh
and said it was good
i’m almost certain there was a fire
in kindergarten i remember the drills
devise a plan
get out
you can’t stay in a burning home
humans are so primal
they see an inferno and their pupils
dilate in desire
but my hands are on fire
flames licking back my skin
to the bone and i'm honestly
too tired to care if
you touch me and the fire obliterates you
*Published in Skyway Journal on 1/7/22
**A 2023 Best of the Net nominee