ARSON

Your temper 

blow-torch Fahrenheit  

smoldering among your cells

disintegrating your lungs

each exhale carcinogenic

Your breath smells like

unresolved generational trauma

a putrid fusion

of blame, excuses

and all the smoke

you stay ready 

to serve the world.

No one is safe 

including you.

 

One day 

the internal holocaust 

charring your core 

roasting your bodily fluids

and blackening your heart 

will be too rebellious

for you to survive.

 

Swear I keep smellin' fire 

and sure enough

every time I look around 

it's you

lit

cracklin' and poppin', 

rockets launching from your tongue

a run-for-cover spectacle

short-circuiting people's tolerance 

incinerating vital bonds

from your support system 

snuffing out your prosperity.

Hell hath no fury 

like you

scorned.

You're not the warm refuge folks seek

to escape life's blistering chill

you're the reason the block is hot

carbon-monoxide mobile

mortal spirit

clearing the path

with one searing gaze

no need to speak

we all know

you don't require words

to kill the peace.

And I would call the fire department

but judging by 

the grandeur of your rage

your flame is too trick candle

for their hoses

you're not thirsty for healing

you wanna burn bridges

every day you add more tinder

to the widespread toxins 

engulfing humanity.

It's clear that your violent flare 

is premeditated

which means

this 

is an inferno 

that can only be extinguished

by you. 

©2024 Charlene E. Green