'¦and you will not know
Whether to put it out
Or put it in your heart
And encourage the flame to grow.

The fire will be burning
At the bedsheets of your sister,
At the apron strings of mother,
Father's newspaper,
Brother's bicycle,
Friend's shot of whiskey left hanging on the pub table
While he takes a leak,
Your boss's annual report
And how well you've done
In light of the month's key performance indicators.

The fire will be everywhere:
Engulfing your poems,
Your art,
Eating at your words
Until all you sputter is smoke,
Choking out big black clouds;
Big black clouds;
The clouds are going to come down and surround you
And their rain will not be released
In order to ease your flame
Their rain is to be held
In the tears of ordinary civilians that you cannot touch,
Cannot feel or even see,
But damn you know they are out there
Because you can sense the heat of their fire
And your skin dries out from their sensations.

Your nasal hairs twitch to their sweat
And suddenly the heart floods with understanding:
To think that once, you were blind
And now guided by the light of this torch
You see how the world burns
And the only choice you will have left
Is whether to help save our souls
Or let the whole emetic existence
Go up go up go up
Go down in the thick, black leathery smoke of Hell.

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