Burn Poem by Rachel Kovacs

It started with just a hint of smoke,
A whiff that made the nostrils flare,
But raised no alarm.
It was fanned by every little slight
And look
And broken promise
And critical word.

No one noticed
When it finally caught.
The smolder now a flame
Licking up the wall
Of our lives.
It was tame,
Controllable.
Safe.

But it spread.
It snaked its way
Through each member
And no one seemed
To realize
How it rotted flesh
And poisoned air.

It blistered
And peeled way
Our dreams
Our hopes
Leaving scars
And immobility
In its wake.

Walking cadavers
In a gutted world.