Pyromania
By: Luke Park
I. Love
The party is beginning.
Streamers adorn the ceilings,
Balloons sit in the corners,
Colored plates and cups lie patiently on iridescent table covers,
Gifts wrappers coat the ground like snow,
And all are covered in confetti,
Wreathed by ribbons.
II. Kids and Matches
The party has begun.
The smiles and squeals of children pour in,
Joyous sensation, like ecstasy.
The air is filled with the scent of cake,
Burning candles,
Wishes born from smoke.
Caretaker sleeps in the corner.
III. Conflagrations Excite
Fire is here.
In the kitchen there she waits,
Lurking predator.
Joy is blind.
Fire watches, allures.
Temptress.
Some feel fear.
Some feel warmth.
Kids see fire, and think,
I’m in love.
IV. Cleansed By Fire
How quickly love turns to terror
and back to love, when
this beast born ablaze
prowls up the walls
up the roof and swallows us whole and
engulfs everything in the room
in her embrace and
all we can do is cry, panic, pray
love, accept, realize.
tissues contract.
fat and muscles burn away.
the skeleton does not burn in a uniform way.
dehydration.
fracturing.
decomposition.
that is how fire feasts.
V. Post-Mortem
The party is over.
Burnt streamers adorn the ceilings,
Melted balloons sit in the corners,
Smoldering plates and cups have died on ashen table covers,
Gifts wrappers coat the ground like cinders,
And all are covered in soot,
Wreathed by fire.
The party is beginning.
Streamers adorn the ceilings,
Balloons sit in the corners,
Colored plates and cups lie patiently on iridescent table covers,
Gifts wrappers coat the ground like snow,
And all are covered in confetti,
Wreathed by ribbons.
II. Kids and Matches
The party has begun.
The smiles and squeals of children pour in,
Joyous sensation, like ecstasy.
The air is filled with the scent of cake,
Burning candles,
Wishes born from smoke.
Caretaker sleeps in the corner.
III. Conflagrations Excite
Fire is here.
In the kitchen there she waits,
Lurking predator.
Joy is blind.
Fire watches, allures.
Temptress.
Some feel fear.
Some feel warmth.
Kids see fire, and think,
I’m in love.
IV. Cleansed By Fire
How quickly love turns to terror
and back to love, when
this beast born ablaze
prowls up the walls
up the roof and swallows us whole and
engulfs everything in the room
in her embrace and
all we can do is cry, panic, pray
love, accept, realize.
tissues contract.
fat and muscles burn away.
the skeleton does not burn in a uniform way.
dehydration.
fracturing.
decomposition.
that is how fire feasts.
V. Post-Mortem
The party is over.
Burnt streamers adorn the ceilings,
Melted balloons sit in the corners,
Smoldering plates and cups have died on ashen table covers,
Gifts wrappers coat the ground like cinders,
And all are covered in soot,
Wreathed by fire.
Writer's Statement: Luke Park is a tenth grader attending The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. His poems have been published and accepted in the Teen Issue of Inlandia, Hot Dish Magazine, The Juniper Institute, The Bookends Review, The Showbear Family Circus, and The Healing Muse.