Stop the crying

The bleeding, shouting—

I can’t sleep.

Oily unease bubbles out

My knees grow heavy

Throat cluttered by horror, undigested

The buildings alight across the city

I stand to watch the fatal terrain.

Smoke scalding my face

Muted screams push on my jaw

Fever of steam, fiery crash

A deluge of mortality dampens the coppice

No deceiving mercy

And by my feet

That inverted mass of myself

Spotted by surrounding dirt

Unable to tend my eyes

With my slick hands

helpless.