I've been burned many times in my life
From a stove, a fire,
A lighter or a match,
A candle or its wax

Even just from food—  
A drink taken too soon  
Scalded my tongue—  
Now nothing tastes the same.

My feelings, too,
Laid bare like a muscle,
Pulled from within,
Blazed,
With a flame,
That burned what couldn't last.

And the only way to teach  
That fire is hot  
Is to let someone  
Touch it,
Because will  
Can’t be stopped.

,

"I told you it was hot,
But you had to see for yourself,
Now you have that ugly mark"

You reached for the comfort—  
But it shattered like delph.
Now cold water
Is all that listens.

But no water calms the ache
Rising from the burn,
Already blooming-
On your hand.

Because wonder outweighed warning—  
You had to know the flame.

Lawrence Hall
Mhall46184@aol.com
Dispatches for the Colonial Office

                         A Gold-Tone Case for Business Cards

A gold-tone case for business cards that read
“(Something) Enterprises Unlimited”
An address that included the word “Suite”
Which was only a bedroom with a folding table

A telephone number that no longer exists
Which never rang a number that no one ever called
And a dead-end @aol.com
For a business that was only a dream

Buried in a suit from the 1980s
The Men’s Store at Sears – The Classic Collection

This was a tale as old as time.
A movie where every scene had a bad line.
Where every character dies.
And the hero never wins,
No matter how hard they try.
And love doesn’t win at the end.
I’ve seen this before,
I know how it ends.
Not a final kiss,
No “we can be friends.”
Just an awkward goodbye.
And a sad, lonely, few couple of nights.
And then maybe some more.
They don’t pick up the phone
And one day your ok,
With being alone.
You start to  drink to forget.
Then start calling your friends.
You drink even more,
Starts to feel like a bag.
And you start to see her face.
And you hate that you are,
Who she said that you were.
The villain of your own movie.
This beautiful , sad, love story.
This wasn’t how you thought it would end.
With you all alone.