"Reduced to Ashes" Inspired by Summer’s Edge:

Reduced to Ashes

Fight or flight.

Surrounded,

the choice isn’t mine to make.

I’m fleeing before I remember

fighting was an option,

before I remember

I wasn’t alone in that room.

My head turns back,

feet still flying towards any opening,

any hope of escape.

I don’t see her,

but that doesn’t mean she isn’t there,

isn’t following behind.

If I was running away,

there was a good chance she was too.

Right?

Right.

I’d see her outside,

once we got to a safe space.

I meet the floor

before finding an exit,

coughing and wheezing

as I struggle to keep going,

keep flying away.

My arms and legs are burning,

but still I crawl.

Getting outside is all that matters.

Until I do.

Outside,

lying on the ground

a safe distance from the burning house,

breathing less smoke,

I remember her again.

Why isn’t she right behind me?

How long has it been since I’ve seen her?

Fight or flight.

I chose wrong.

I should have chosen to fight,

to fight for her,

for her life,

her life that has been reduced to ashes.