Cold 2011, in the chill of the middle of March Like a disaster waiting to happen, barely holding its charge A blazing flame had ignited, revealing a hint of a grin Disguised as a dying ember, beguiling me into a gin The ember burns, she hungers for a source of fuel Her power grows quickly, she's hopping like a fool onto the floor Then she expands to every wall With scorching steps, her dreadful grace consumes it all A mournful morning reduced my life to dust Counting memories to the last Stories, fabrics, papers, pictures, moments caught in a frame All I was defined by - All I lost to the flame I deserve this rude awakening, for letting down my guard To see my home collapsing, a burning house of cards A fire I thought that had died, a mistress that dances in awe The non-metaphorical bash to the face that is my broken jaw I see 30 years swirling down the drain Notebooks I've written as a child, poems I've written as a man You stop at nothing, impossible to quench So hard to kill you, you sot belligerent wench Playtime is over with this blistering deadly dame All I was defined by - All is lost to the flame As I sit in ashes, my hands are searching to find Something I could hold on ot, a little peace of mind Nothing lies beneath this blackened veil of cinder Losing all I'm defined by through the gap between my fingers