Mind Fire

My neighbor is building a house,
The wood skeleton rising among the trees.
I see him out there,
Measuring, laying cinder blocks,
Cutting, hammering,
Cap pulled low over his eyes,
Pencil behind his ear.
At night, he disappears inside a tiny camper,
Living small until completing his castle.
I watch him from my deck,
Peering through binoculars,
Bringing his world into mine.
Tomorrow, when he runs an errand to the hardware store,
I will walk by the frame and
Flick an ash,
Setting it ablaze
Accidentally on purpose.
I will retreat behind a window,
Watch the flames lick the sky,
My neighbor standing helpless,
Talking furiously on his cell phone.
The fire will leap to trees and dry brush,
Flirting with my house
And my insecurities.

© Poem Fix http://www.poemfix.com 2012
Photo: Andreas Fink