“The Housefire” is a short narrative poem written in free verse. It describes a moment caught in time.
She had skin
As smooth
As a watermelon’s
And eyes
As bright
As butterflies.
She stood,
Frozen for a moment,
With her mouth open,
So that her round white teeth
And the tip of her pretty
Pink tongue
Were just visible.
Her arm was outstretched,
Like a medusa
Under a deep sea.
I could understand her.
I suppose that’s
How
I might stand too
If I came home,
And I, like her,
Found my home
Burning.
David Murphy 