There are

There are

Somedays

When I sit in front of the fire

Watching the flames

Flicker

Until

They consume me

Throw in a newspaper

I've read it before

You should never burn a book,

What is that about

Other than brutalism,

Fascism is more common

Than is healthy.

I could go out for a drink

The walk would do me good

The walk back

Might be a problem

The sky is heavy

With light pollution.

Too many people argue

Behind closed doors

Men with violence

In their hearts

Too much spittle staining

Drab grey curtains.

If I heard a woman sob

Would I shout out

Knock on the door

Or just ignore it.

A child cries

In an upstairs room

Startled awake

Going from

One nightmare

Into another.

I could climb a drainpipe

Become a saviour

But I might be

Misconstrued

As Rumpelstiltskin

Causing more problems

Than I solve.

The terrors never leave

They chase me down the street

Skeleton fingers

Rake my throat

Ragged nails dig deep

Into my psyche.

It is the nature

Of an active volcano

To explode.

Burned it in the fire

Not that it changed a thing

Oh boy.