Pamplemousse

The Student Literary Journal of Vermont State University

A Different Kind of Fire

Poetry

There is an old love letter kind of fire.
There is a Thai chili on the tongue fire.
There is a marshmallow campfire fire.

Love is a fire where you can warm your hands.
Abuse is a fire banked low to control the burn.

Capture the image of me at nine in your mind.
See that girl with the Hula-Hoop and the Slinky?
Remember now?
Do you see her on the back lawn in her cutoff shorts?
There was a flower applique on her pocket.

Let this be a warning to you!
If it ever happens again,
to another girl,
there will be a Burn Your House Down
With You In It type of fire!

SUZANNE O'CONNELL’s recently published work can be found in Forge, Atlanta Review, Crack The Spine, The Louisville Review, Found Poetry Review and Burningword Literary Journal among others. She lives in Los Angeles. She was nominated for a 2015 Best Of The Net award.