When the fire fades

When the songbirds fall silent

as the embers die

and your vision grows clear

you take a breath

and you swear you can smell the very scent of silence

though to your ears the world never goes quiet

the way your mind gathers and calculates

just how many leaves that tree has and

the exact way in which you skin sparkles…

for all that clarity, your memories are dark and dim

like you lived your whole life in a smoky bar

and here is the sunlight

but you're sure if you wanted

--which you surely don't--

you could remember every second of the past few days

such pain…

you thought this was heaven,

but from the way your throat burns and how lost you feel

you're starting to wonder,

could this be hell?