Dedicated to Maria.  On December 13, 2000, those of you living in the D/FW area of Texas may have heard about a house explosion in N. Richland Hills.  That was my kindergarten teacher's house.  It also happens to be just down the street from where I grew up.   She was one of my favorite teachers in my school career, and even as i grew older, I kept in touch with Maria and her husband, Mario.. A Single Flash Everything changed in a single flash the flash of a moment between quiet and chaos the flash of fire and explosion sending heat and destruction into thier lives A tower of flames twenty-five feet high a desperate struggle to free her mate then watching from safety with neighbors surrounding as the inferno claimed a lifetime of possessions surrounded by the flashing of emergency lights But the flames weren't done yet they wanted still more they had taken the car the house, all within it they had taken her hair and strips of his skin but still they were hungry for one thing more it was theirs already they only need wait Within the hospital that night he lay dying he knew he'd not last much longer than dawn for he was the last thing those flames had demanded their ravenous hunger to tear him from her He spoke with his daughters, his friends, and a priest he spoke with Maria 'til his voice went away from 7 p.m. 'til three in the morning that was all the time they had left What do you say in such a short time? so many years of marriage to end so abruptly how do you prepare her to go on without you when fate stands there looming in death you to part It took just one flash to change Maria's world a flash which I'm sure replays every night a flash taking her hands a year's time to recover a flash leaving forever a scar upon her heart Copyright © 01/01/01 Ambyrhawke Shadowsinger All Rights Reserved
		Poetry