After Fire

The trees are charred, the leaves, turned to ash, blow in the wind. The grass was crisp and the house, burned. The ground was hot as I walked on it barefoot. I reached the water, the only thing not burned or hurt around here. I stepped into the water, deeper and deeper. The water was a knee-level, hip-level, stomachs, chest, neck. My head was under the cool water and I loved the cold on my scorched skin. My family is gone, so is the rest of the town. I'm the lone survived. My house, everything and everyone in it, burned and gone. My best friend is dead, so is my boyfriend. I have nothing and no one left. I feel the crisp coolness on my burned scalp. I run my fingers through the water. I have nothing and no one. Tonight there was no moon in the sky, and the stars seemed to barely shine. I took it as a sign. I breathed in. The water entered my smoke-filled lungs. I stayed under water, hanging onto the underwater boulder. The cool darkness made way for a hot brightness. I welcomed it open-heartedly.