The Arsonist

An addiction is not always pleasurable

Watching the smoke snake
off the buildings at night,
I wonder about those
that are trapped inside.
I hear the first of the
primal screams as the flames
shatter the panes that protect
them from the outside world.
The smell of petrol
thick on my hands,
I crouch down on
the balls of my feet
and gently rock back and forth
to the rhythm of the
heartbeat of the damned.

The screams get louder
reverberating around in
my twisted mind.
A smile creeps across my lips,
bearing nicotine stained teeth.
I watch as those that have
given up hope, so soon,
jump from the twenty-first floor.  
Their bodies seem weightless
as they fall through the
billowing smoke, realizing too late
that their saviors are almost there.  

Sirens wail and tires screech
signaling my time to flee.  
Flashing lights bouncing off
the surrounding buildings show
curious faces pressed to
soot covered windows.
I watch their eyes widen
as the building finally erupts
in a geyser of black smoke
and bright red flames.

I rise from my lofty perch,
feeling the flames radiate their
cleansing warmth over my
trembling body.  A bubbling deep
within me rises to the surface
and breaks forth as a laugh I didn't
know existed.  Climbing down
from my personal observation deck,
my way is bathed in red, yellows, and blues.

As my feet touch the pavement,
my mood takes a turn for the worse.
Doubt and grief wrap their tendrils
around my mind and draw me in.
The flames cleanse the soul,
but the fire burns the mind.
My feet increase their speed,
carrying me home, where I
curl up in my shower,
crying under the hot water.

Reviews

[R.A. Youngblood]

This is very powerful, and you expressed some heavy emotions here.
And it's very descriptive, imaginative and creative!
I didn't found any grammatic and spelling error, so that's brilliant for such a long poem, it sees a lot of a hard work!
Thanks for sharing..Keep it up :D

[Marissa]

very good...nice and strong.

[Amila Jay]

A brilliant write!!! Very well expressed :))

[afra]

deep and powerful ....good work

[Corset]

very intense, i like how you showed the shock and the laugh reflex when hysterics grab you in disbelief when forced face to face with a magnitude of such raw power as the fire...and then the survivers guilt afterward in the shower.

[Laura Maidah]

It's all right. Nothing to get too worked up over. You're a great poet, but it's long and heavy with verbosity and worn prose.

[Owlgirl]

Wow, powerful, clear imagery, very well written.