he didn't notice the "snow" at first
he was mad that his brother was sick
which meant that they couldn't go visit their uncle
in his office, the tall buildings
and because his brother was sick and his mom
was watching the tv
he was bored and had no one to play with
his sole consolation was that the window didn't have a screen
so he could stick his head out
and look up and down
it was exciting to look out at the city
there were so many people, more than he had ever seen
he heard sirens, a lot of sirens
and he hoped he would see a fire truck or a cop car
he liked fire trucks and cop cars
he wanted to be a firefighter when he was older
fire was cool
his brother wanted to be a cop
because he thought guns were cool
then the boy could see the snow
it fell gently and slowly
and quietly, even if the sirens were so loud
it seemed a reward straight from God
because the boy was having a bad day
and the thunder and earthquake from before
had scared him
but it was okay since now there was snow
"look, it's snowing!" the boy jumps up and down
"mommy, look, the thunder and earthquake brought snow!"
it wasn't thunder, it wasn't an earthquake, it wasn't snow
a frail and shocked woman tears her eyes away from news cast
she grabs her son and drags him away from the window, closing it
his hair is coated in a fine layer of ash, and he grins
oh god he doesn't know he has no idea
she turns back in a daze to the television
a grim reporter shows images and videos
the boy watches, too, but he doesn't get why the people are so upset
about all the snow
he understands that a building fell down
but there was snow, wasn't snow exciting?
and there was a fire, and fire was cool
fire meant firefighters, and firefighters were cool, too
the boy reasons that people were probably scared of the fire
not many people are brave enough to fight fire,
like the firefighters
the newscasters keep playing the same footage over and over
of a building on fire, shaking and shuddering
little shapes keep falling out of it
but the little shapes aren't debris
"what are those?" the boy asks, pointing to the screen
his mother doesn't answer at first,
and the building falls down
then the newscast cuts to a different video
this one live
"people" his mother replies
"why are they flying?" the boy asks
but his mother doesn't answer
tears roll down from her eyes, and her hand covers her mouth
she's shaking, like the building
(the boy hopes she won't collapse)
the boy is confused, why is his mother crying?
they were safe from the fire, she shouldn't be crying
he finally decides she must be missing her brother
"when will uncle john come home?" he asks, brightly
even though he knows it will be a while
since uncle john left just that morning
"i don't know if he will" his mother replies
the second building falls
----------------------
The memories of a six year old aren't perfect, so.
YOU ARE READING
BURN (Wattys2015?)
Poetry"Poetry...is thoughts that breathe and words that burn."--Thomas Gray "Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash." --Leonard Cohen Poems on the tough stuff in life. Poems on the crazy good stuff in li...
