Saturday, August 31, 2019

THE FIRE

“Did I ever tell you about the fire?”

Well, there was smoke,
crackling, flickering light. 
What’s happening?
I thought to myself.
Oh no, there’s a fire!
Where?  In the kitchen?

“Quick, Mom,” I yelled.
Grab a blanket,
a towel, anything!”
I had to run in and fight it,
you see, smother it. 
It’s always been my enemy!

I couldn’t move.  My feet
were stuck in glue.
“Pull”, I urged myself,
“pull harder, the flames
are growing, they’re licking
up the wall!

Where was Mom?  I
couldn’t find her.
She’d disappeared. It was
up to me now.
I’d have to grab a blanket.,
fight the fire, smother it!”

But then I felt hands on me,
pulling me back .
“The cats!” I screamed,
Where were the cats?
Oh no, still in the house? 
Or had they escaped?
 
“Let me go!” I screamed.
And then I woke up
under a heap of blankets.

Peggy C.

The two faces of Fire.
Fire can be cleansing, renewing, invigorating, warming and cheering.
But Fire can also be shocking,  violent and completely destructive.
I've seen both sides.
at

13 comments:

  1. brudbergAugust 31, 2019 at 1:51 PM

    The terror of a fire... how amazing that we both happened to write about that... but yours was so much closer to home. I remember when we had a small fire at home when I was a kid, and I remember running out in the street in my pajama only bringing the cat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peggy C.September 2, 2019 at 9:07 AM

      My poem was inspired by a real incident in which my house might have burned down if I
      hadn't been able to beat out the flames licking halfway up the bathroom wall.

      Delete
  2. tonispencerAugust 31, 2019 at 8:22 PM

    A dream! Very vivid and scary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peggy C.September 2, 2019 at 9:00 AM

      Thanks for your comment, Toni. The poem was inspired by my phobia, which was caused by
      an incident where I was able to beat out the flames licking half way up my bathroom wall.
      I've been on guard ever since.

      Delete
  3. JimSeptember 1, 2019 at 1:29 AM

    Got me in, Peggy. And I wasn't ready for your ending.
    I would hate to be in a real fire, that must be a terrible experience. Often fatal.
    ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peggy C.September 2, 2019 at 9:02 AM

      Thanks for your comments, Jim.
      The poem was inspired by my phobia, which was caused by
      an incident where I was able to beat out the flames licking
      half way up my bathroom wall.
      I've been on guard ever since.

      Delete
  4. Linda Lee LybergSeptember 1, 2019 at 11:13 AM

    Wow- this is so intense. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peggy C.September 2, 2019 at 9:03 AM

      Thank you very much for your comments. I have a phobia about fire after going through
      an incident where my house would have burned down if I wasn't able to beat out the
      flames licking half way up the bathroom wall.

      Delete
  5. Sanaa RizviSeptember 1, 2019 at 11:57 AM

    My goodness this is powerful!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peggy C.September 2, 2019 at 9:04 AM

      Thank you for your comment, Sanaa. The poem was inspired by my phobia about fire.

      Delete
  6. Susie ClevengerSeptember 2, 2019 at 8:00 AM

    Goodness, what a nightmare...I felt the terror.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peggy C.September 2, 2019 at 9:05 AM

      Thank you, Susie, for your comments. The poem was inspired by my phobia about fire,
      after an incident in which my house would have burned down if I wasn't able to put
      out the flames licking halfway up the wall of the bathroom.

      Delete
  7. peterfrankiswrites.wordpress.comSeptember 3, 2019 at 11:04 PM

    A convincing write - the fear of a scared child really came through in this (despite the narrator's claim it was only a dream). Well done.

    ReplyDelete

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