Midnight Inferno

A calm evening, killed by the rage of a spark
Thick smoke, blacker than the night sky
Choking innocent children,
and their families
Flames die, red-helmeted men depart
in screaming trucks
Blue-clad paladins with gleaming white electric torches
looking around, whistling
An empty hotel matchbook lay
open on the grass, among scattered debris
Dozens of curious bystanders watch in sadness
The air reeks of burning wood, and an evil soul
Hearts under tight bathrobes view the
ebony remains

Crowds diminish
A dark man, shadowed in madness,
strolls down a narrow suburban alley,
grinning devilishly

The sun rises, cleansing the darkness
save the burnt ruins of a home
A jogger stops, picks up an ash-covered child’s photo
And tosses it into the street
He laughs, pulls out a hotel matchbook as he
heads to the next house