Void in the Fire

the fire is contained
its noxious gray exhalation dissipates
its horror briefly subdued
(a bomb cyclone devours the frozen ground)

memories of the departed
haunt a cold lifeless room
fade into numbing nullification
(apparitions drift through a punctured psyche)

almost all gone now
alone as words become muted
alone as I flail in a savage sea
(howling & hurtling toward a horribly merciful

v o i d
o
i
d
)

-NJV(2023/rev.2024)