The Burning House

I.

You are looking at a house burning at the end of the road. It is a small black building made of wood. But the colour of the house hardly matters because it would soon be all gone anyway. In the bed with the person you love, they ask you to turn them over and love them a little more as they lay naked. One hand on you and one on their thigh. They yell at you but you are still looking at the smoke coming out of that house. You think if there are people inside; you think of the walls melting down slowly and the picture frames going missing; you think of the smell of flesh and how it stinks, why is no one going for help. You are not any different. You are just as ignorant as others but you know of your ignorance. You think your self awareness makes you better than the people around you but when it’s the time to jump from the bridge and save yourself, you run away just like everyone. They pull you back in the bed.You don’t remember which day it is. Will it all be over by the time you wake up. The bed is turning hot, your ceiling is slowly falling and is about to crush you. You hear your screams but your mouth it stitched shut. A feeling of chewing leaves, wet clothes sticking to you, palm on the gas but you can’t pull your hand away, they are choking you with the love. Your skin is now black. You are now made of wood.

II.

You are in the burning house. You feel it in your blood as it turns thicker. You are lying on the floor as they pour gasoline on you like it would help. They pick you up on your shoulder and lock you in the basement. You breathe the smoke and light a cigarette from the fire. They are having a party on the first floor. Disco lights shine through the little space and the thumping sound of people jumping hits you. They would all fall here anytime but they don’t, they are not unlucky like you. They had brains and thoughts of themselves they don’t want to die. You are in the burning house and it feels like heaven. Because there is nothing to take care of now. It is all gone already, nothing to build nothing to save. The director says cut and the crew starts wrapping up. People who were dancing on the floor all go different ways but they forgot you in the basement. The lights go out, the camera stops recording but you feel the eyes on you. They forget you and the burning house and all the time you took to decorate the furniture. It never mattered. You should have never walked-in in the first place.

III.

You are now the burning house. How does it feel to be at the edge of vanishing? Congratulation, there is no one to save you. There are people watching you from across the street while they have sex with the people they met a night before. You have crocked teeth and bushy brows you could not be any of the people. You are the person who tries to go to bed at 12 at night but never falls asleep. The white of your body is turning brown. You wish to have lived childhood. You wish to have lived childhood and played outside like other kids, dodged balls and come home to a glass of cold milkshake with vanilla on the top, gulp it in one breathe while watching your favourite cartoon on TV but you were never a child to begin with. You were a burning house and that is how people will remember you. Angry, complex and about to rush on the streets to yell at cars. But it is fine. If this is how it has to go then you are not worried. Now, you are of use. You stand unharmed, everything is burning but nothing breaks.

IV.

You are safe but you are now the fire. You are the thing which clings to the warmth and never leaves. You seek light and destroy what comes in the way. The dogs are barking outside, people are watching you constantly. You flick and grow stronger and heavier but you never stop. You spread. You are not hungry but you eat, you eat but it is still never enough. It is okay. The air smells of lavender, you are in the middle of a garden and you walk with fire surrounding you. You touch the flowers but they no more burn. You are learning to give love without harming. You are all things at one time.