In the joyous morning
Bird song and laughter fills the air
Children scamper up and down the path
Ocean sounds bounce off our little camp trailer.
Whomphhh breaks the noisy silence.
I swallow my heart and search relentlessly for water.
Screams - my own echoing my mother's senseless siren tones
"Get her out...get her out" a mantra streaming from my screaming lips
directed at the sharp orange flames that fill my entire vision.
Running the steps to her flaming tomb my father a moment ahead.
Heat ripping the air around my face
for one breathless second before they appear.
Aflame and shocked.
Strike them to the ground.
Instinct takes over in frantic effort
Remove the flames. Roll, roll.
They flee seeking healing and safety.
What next?
Remove the children,
minimize damage, sooth the family,
carry on, carry on, carry on,
then sleep.
Months later when least expected
my mind hears it and I swallow my heart again.
An echo of a defining moment
heard only by myself-
Whomph. My mind flashes orange,
and I search relentlessly for water.
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