How could I forget?
Sacrilege scorched
To the back of my eyelids
And I see it over and over
Every time I close my eyes
This terrible memory
Has not been lost over time
As I recall that cruel night
A night as black as pitch
And the cold, icy and biting
From my bedroom window
I could see the church on the hill
A beacon of hope standing the test of time
Now engulfed in a flaming fiery blaze
That could have come from Hell itself
The star lit sky was bright orange
While the smoke created patterns
Swirling in the wind that fanned the blaze
The structure began to fail
Stone collapsed and wood splintered
Fixated by this terrible sight
I swear I saw dark shadows
Dancing around the fire
Their gestures in celebration of
The demise of this symbol of good
Mesmerised by the moment
I could see the flames
Through the shadows
Given the illusion of
Eyes and mouths and teeth
Orange red eyes that glowed
Mouths that formed toothy grins
Menacing grins that turned
Into what looked like
Open mouthed laughter
Each gesture melding into the next
With each shape changing and
Melting into the next demonic shape
And all I could do was stand my ground
Watching this terrible event unfurl
I didn’t sleep much that night
To a young boy witnessing
Such a cruel, frightening vision
My dreams were tormented by
The shadows scratching at my window
The next morning I woke
And sprung to my window
Had I witness a terrible nightmare
No; there it was the smouldering
Scorched unholy skeleton
I quietly wept, for hope had burned to the ground.
Copyright © JRFC May 2019
Image from Pixabay, modified by JRFC
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