After The Fact
By Nancy M.

I stand at the house that is now a shell,
wondering why things suddenly went to hell.

The heater in the corner had a bad wire,
and ultimately was what started the fire.

The little girl's room all decked out in pink,
now looks lonely like the melted play sink.

The little boy's room adorned lovingly in blue,
now barely recognizable through the smoky hue.

You'd think that all the years of putting out fires,
people would heed our warnings to check all their wires.

As I gaze now at the house that once stood so tall,
Could now only look so empty and small.