Fire Fighters Association
Black and White Spotted Doggerel
With a red suspender klaxon flash down
Copper rails shooting out of fiery
Crossbow into the chokey smoked billows
They scream danger across burnt-out
Cat walks and pull to the right and stop
And there’s no one trapped inside here
The yellow wispy water serpent bait
Calls out to the masked helmets ascending
And not returning to safe dot marks the spot trampoline
Held by helping hand brigade without FEAR
The mommy I want to be a fire man dreams
Melt like twisted iron superstructure into the
Ash filled what about my couch air and
Why weren’t they on time and who are you to
Ask what I was cooking and where do the
Burnt out husks of dreams sleep when black soot
Becomes tall building and water snakes
In deluvian ooze surround faulty wiring and
Gas stove tops– double take
Manic waving hands in last second panic
Sweat the ones left behind, no I thought
The kids were with you questions and hate
Between a man and his mate —black and white spotted doggerel –
The say the Fire Fighters Free association was
Outasight last night - wish I had marshmallow
Cynicism for the dusky coals and poor lost souls
Caught under weakened ceiling joint crashing
Crashing through yellow helmet bravery and yeah,
You couldn’t pay me enough to climb those stairs.
(2014)
