The heat seeps over me like a fire
coming up from the floor boards of the house we built together,
burning more than the cherry colored wood
we worked together to install.
The anger in your blue eyes flickering
like the center of the flames
that now broke through the surface
        like you broke me.
It wasn't always like this;
the floor being hotter than the passion.
The only heat I used to feel was your breath
on my forehead every morning
when you kissed me goodbye
          before leaving for work.
Or the hot cocoa that burned my tongue
when I didn't wait to drink it
         like you told me to.
The steam from the hot showers moved from the bathroom
to the cracks between the the trim and the floor
you've been meaning to fix for weeks.
I stopped.
         Everything stopped.
You said what I'd been waiting to hear.
The flames in your eyes were burning brighter than ever.
I went numb as the fire burnt the soles of my feet.
The heat seeped up my body
but I was as frozen as the day you tried to teach me how to ski.
The heat became too much and
I collapsed onto the floor as I was enveloped by the flames
that broke through those cherry colored floor boards
         just like you broke me.