
Lamp
Nerves of steel, now molting
Fires flame was scorching
Smoke filled nostrils
Coughing, wheezing, eyes burn
Fire on the lamp
My daughters blanket lit
Pick it up with bare hands
It spreads, it drops, it treads
My son watches from the sofa
With a blanket I smother
I hit I pat the orange flame
My body snuffs the oxygen
Flame out Carpet burnt
Alarms sound, babies cry
Old windows open to a cool breeze
Oxygen we begin to breathe
I hold my son, I hold my daughter
Thank you Lord the flame died
Thank you that we are safe inside
Thank you that little ones sigh
Thank you the fire was caught
That the wrapping paper
The puzzle pieces, the toys,
The table escaped the blaze
I am amazed. The timing to wait,
On naps. To smell the smoke stack.
To contact neighbors and husband
To replace tears with hugs
To replace two carpet squares
To toss a blanket from our wedding Day
That was precisely placed, on the floor it lay.
Mercies new each morning, each hour. Oh to count them like fields of flowers.