neighborhood

When the house across the street and one down from us burned
When the boys ran door to door to wake everyone up with cries of "Emergency! Hey! Emergency! You need to get out!"
When I saw the orange glow behind my blinds
When I opened them and saw the flames higher than the trees in their yard
When my mom's curiostiy mixed with respect for law enforcement and left her tied to the front porch

I thought i would never use "on fire" as a metaphor for anything again
Unless someone really burned bright enough to destroy themselves