If the Fires Blazed High

Standing here, surrounded by my belongings

I wonder:

If the fires blazed high

And my room was to touch its lights

What would I take with me?

What would I hold?

I look around

And the first thing I see

A picture of Momma, Papa, and me

A day at the beach

Oh! How we smiled!

But then I remembered,

Papa hasn’t come home in a week

I need this picture to recall his face,

To not forget what once seemed

An unforgettable memory traced

I grabbed the picture

And placed it at my knees

When a tiny little paper

Caught my eye with glee

The one the boy had wrote me

The one who lived down the street

His eyes shinned brightly that night

When he had promised to God

He’d treat me right

But time would do its job

To separate us both

His heart was so grand

There was room in it

for more than just me

So he decided to enlist

In the nation’s army

“Oh God!” I pleaded!

Please let him be

Save this boy

Just for me

Keep him safe in all his endeavors

And keep his heart close to me

That’s when I turned

To the cross on my wall

And I remembered

What my sweet Jesus

Did for us all

*****************************************************

If the fires blazed high

And my room was to touch its lights

What would I take with me?

What would I hold?

I would take my heart

I would take my soul

But most importantly

And most of all

I’d hold on to my faith

For through it all

It’s helped me stay sane

In the mist covering the halls

I’d take my faith

For only then would I know

That my Daddy will return

That my family won’t be torn

That the boy who lived down the street

Will be safe

And then

No picture will be needed

No letter will be lost

Because I’ll have everything I need

If I take my faith and trust

-By: Ariana Martinez