Fire by Beatrice Preti

in burning dreams the walls collapse
a fire-fall of glass and ash
the room is filled with soot and smoke
my thorax burns I gasp and choke
I can’t escape it’s all around
I try to scream but there’s no sound
the red-gold flames creep everywhere
and my eyes open
but
there’s nothing there

so then I wake and walk and work
where flameless fires always lurk
they creep around the words they say
they creep around me every day
they burn their pattern in my brain
the searing pain turns me insane
and so whenever I close my eyes
I see fire
burn
through its disguise