I watched my neighbor's house burn -
walls built by his mother,
his brother,
his daughter.
Helpless, I stood far away
from where the fire seethed.
Soon there was a gathering.
whispers among us,
quiet and afraid.
They showed it on the news,
the smoldering remains,
and they cried out from the streets.
for the powers to repay.
It was never meant to last,
said they planned it that way.
Well, I watched my neighbor's house burn,
and the fire caught us anyway.