Whiffs

The air carried the hint of something on fire

upon the sky of the afternoon’s light and lazy thoughts,

there was a trace in the scent of wood burning,

then slowly it turned into a conviction.

Somewhere nature has sparked an inferno,

out in the unseen fields raged a flame,

ready to consume life and property

as hell’s marauding monster of torching treat

surely it would move like a scorching lion

over the land to devour everything it met.

 

My heart pounded from the fears,

swells of panic infused my body,

time to prepare to defend against this enemy

before it came and turned my home to ashes.

 

It was so clever not revealing any smoke,

surely the wind was its ally in that ruse,

but deep inside the intuition screamed,

soon this evil would come in fury.

 

Buckets grabbed, hose readied,

quick search for fire extinguisher,

within the dread crippled my sanity,

there was no doubt to me that I would soon

have to battle a blaze to preserve my abode.

 

Outside I walked to confront this impending danger,

just riveted with the urgency for survival,

eyes scanned for that lurking menace.

Suddenly I noticed the neighbor’s chimney

with that fireplace stoked and the black vapors rising.

 

This wasn’t the first time my nose had failed me,

too bad I have amnesia

every new occasion I get a whiff.