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I struck a match on a rock and dropped the match. It was that easy. I hardly knew what I was doing until the
firemen pulled me from the acrid smoke and I saw the inferno I'd started. It was a wall of flames engulfing trees
and homes alike, a sea of orange spilling waves of fire across the once green forest, drowning woodland
creatures and greenery alike. It was a most beautiful sight.
They put me away for it. They put me away for life. It would have been shorter but some kid died in the fire. I
didn't plan on killing anyone, it just happened. But they asked where the fire started and I was the one who did it.
It was willful with malicious intent, according to the judge, so they put me away for life. Stuck me in a prison. I had
one good deed.
I was out of the prison for a day before they found me. They were some sort of vigilante justice group, about
twelve of them. They grabbed me off the street and threw me into a van, stripped me naked and took me out to
some shed in the desert in the middle of the night. I struggled to break free from them as they dragged me into
the shoddy wooden shed. They tied me to a metal bed frame, doused a nightstand in gasoline and set it on fire.
Guess they had it in their heads to enact some kind of appropriate punishment for my crimes. Only problem with
their plan was they had to leave the shed to escape from the fire themselves, and in the process they left me
alone. The burning nightstand quickly spread flames to the wall and then to the front door of the shed. I was out of
my bonds in no time. Kicked out the backside of the shed and took off running.
They couldn't see me run away so I can only assume that when the smoldering wooden remains didn't reveal my
charred body they kicked some dust for my escape trick. Not that assumptions did me any good at that point: I
was naked and alone in a desert at night. Deserts may be hot during the day but they get cold at night. Very cold.
I was desperate to burn something, for warmth, for so much more. I found a road but saw no cars. I collapsed on
the side and lost consciousness.
When I came to I was wrapped in a blanket in the back of a bouncing station wagon. I had no memory of being
picked up so I peaked over the back seat and saw the backside of a woman's head, blonde hair spilling over the
bench seat. I fell in love with the back of that head and lowered myself to the floor of the car, fell back to sleep.
And then I felt my shoulder being shaken, heard the lovely voice of a young lady telling me to wake up. I saw her
bright blue eyes and smiling lips. She told me she'd found me unconscious, that she wanted to help me out. I fell
in love with those blue eyes and red lips. I crawled out of the station wagon with her blanket wrapped around my
naked, frigid body and saw that we were parked at a motel. It was still night but I could see dawn cresting on the
horizon. She led me into a room and shut the door behind her. I felt her hand pull the blanket off my shoulders as
she let it fall to the floor. She led me across the room, laid my bare form down to the bed and ran her warm
fingers down my chest. I have to say, she was quick. I never even saw her pull the knife. All I knew was one
second I was on the bed, and one second later I had a twelve-inch dagger buried in my chest. She said it was for
Kimberly. Guess Kimberly was the kid.
The lady left me there on the bed alone and bleeding, naked and dying. I thought about pulling the knife out of my
chest but I didn't bother. Instead, I just glanced over at the nightstand, saw a book of matches next to an ashtray. I
smiled. May as well go out in style.
Aaron Steinmetz © 2006
firemen pulled me from the acrid smoke and I saw the inferno I'd started. It was a wall of flames engulfing trees
and homes alike, a sea of orange spilling waves of fire across the once green forest, drowning woodland
creatures and greenery alike. It was a most beautiful sight.
They put me away for it. They put me away for life. It would have been shorter but some kid died in the fire. I
didn't plan on killing anyone, it just happened. But they asked where the fire started and I was the one who did it.
It was willful with malicious intent, according to the judge, so they put me away for life. Stuck me in a prison. I had
one good deed.
I was out of the prison for a day before they found me. They were some sort of vigilante justice group, about
twelve of them. They grabbed me off the street and threw me into a van, stripped me naked and took me out to
some shed in the desert in the middle of the night. I struggled to break free from them as they dragged me into
the shoddy wooden shed. They tied me to a metal bed frame, doused a nightstand in gasoline and set it on fire.
Guess they had it in their heads to enact some kind of appropriate punishment for my crimes. Only problem with
their plan was they had to leave the shed to escape from the fire themselves, and in the process they left me
alone. The burning nightstand quickly spread flames to the wall and then to the front door of the shed. I was out of
my bonds in no time. Kicked out the backside of the shed and took off running.
They couldn't see me run away so I can only assume that when the smoldering wooden remains didn't reveal my
charred body they kicked some dust for my escape trick. Not that assumptions did me any good at that point: I
was naked and alone in a desert at night. Deserts may be hot during the day but they get cold at night. Very cold.
I was desperate to burn something, for warmth, for so much more. I found a road but saw no cars. I collapsed on
the side and lost consciousness.
When I came to I was wrapped in a blanket in the back of a bouncing station wagon. I had no memory of being
picked up so I peaked over the back seat and saw the backside of a woman's head, blonde hair spilling over the
bench seat. I fell in love with the back of that head and lowered myself to the floor of the car, fell back to sleep.
And then I felt my shoulder being shaken, heard the lovely voice of a young lady telling me to wake up. I saw her
bright blue eyes and smiling lips. She told me she'd found me unconscious, that she wanted to help me out. I fell
in love with those blue eyes and red lips. I crawled out of the station wagon with her blanket wrapped around my
naked, frigid body and saw that we were parked at a motel. It was still night but I could see dawn cresting on the
horizon. She led me into a room and shut the door behind her. I felt her hand pull the blanket off my shoulders as
she let it fall to the floor. She led me across the room, laid my bare form down to the bed and ran her warm
fingers down my chest. I have to say, she was quick. I never even saw her pull the knife. All I knew was one
second I was on the bed, and one second later I had a twelve-inch dagger buried in my chest. She said it was for
Kimberly. Guess Kimberly was the kid.
The lady left me there on the bed alone and bleeding, naked and dying. I thought about pulling the knife out of my
chest but I didn't bother. Instead, I just glanced over at the nightstand, saw a book of matches next to an ashtray. I
smiled. May as well go out in style.
Aaron Steinmetz © 2006
Oceans of Orange
