After A Fire In Winter

While snow fell and the wind blew,
we watched as the fire blazed
seemingly beyond control.
When the fire was finally subdued,
everyone felt relief.

That was last night.

Today, the destroyed building is regarded
in the bracing, winter air.
It’s the icicles, those inconspicuous icicles-
post-fire pennants beneath
charred beams-
looking like a monster’s teeth
that reminds how fire will devour.

The icicles gleam
with a terrible vitality
throughout the destruction
in the January sun.
The sinister-looking ice-daggers
are one mark after the beast
that the fire became.

Did any lucky ones survive?
Are they those who have lives
that now will never be the same?