Poem: In a House on Fire

In a House on Fire

The smoke was a serpent

winding its way beneath my door,

silent as it crept across the floor, searching.

I did not know it was there until it rose,

sliding up one leg, wrapping itself around my waist,

coiling across my shoulders, licking my neck.

Oh, I fought it, that heavy gray dark.

The smoke tangled itself in my hair,

whispered my name,

soft and seductive as a lover.

I struggled, and I succumbed.