Nothing lasts once it’s burned. It’s fucking ruined and you know it too. Our old home ate embers and spit out the flames like a dare. Echoing laughter and tears and harmony filled with smoke and the smell will never leave you. Yesterday my mom asked if I ever think about the old house. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the soot still rests behind my eyes and everything I see looks like fire. My memory is a pile of ashes and I think yours is too. So let me know you blew out the candles. Remind me when you get home. Check the flames after you put them out because they come back with a vengeance. Let me know if you smell smoke because I can’t tell the difference anymore- I’ll be burning forever in the worst way. You’ll think it’s a dream and I’ll remind you of the nightmare. And I swear I see the flames every time I blink. – AMT