My Need

I would hear

The sirens

Coming down the street

It wasn’t a bad area

It was just near

A nursing home

The sirens would go

All day and night

And I’d leave my windows open

Even in fall

Even in winter when it was freezing out

So I could hear them

Going up and down the street

Back then I lived alone

And I would lay on my back

Clothes off

Two sets of sheets

On my bed

Something about the sirens

Would get me going

And I’d tell you to come over

So I could call 9-1-1

And we’d sit on the couch

And wait to hear them go by us

And that’s when everything

Would begin

Do you remember

The night

The old church

Caught fire?

We could smell the smoke

From two miles away

The fire trucks

Were clogging up the streets

And nobody could leave

Their house

I was trapped with you

And if I could have

I would have locked the doors

And thrown the key
As far as I could

You would always sneak out

Before that fire started

And this time

You couldn’t

You had to stay put

I cracked jokes

About making you

Bad eggs

For breakfast

Didn’t see the sweat

On your brow

Until you were practically

Climbing the walls

I still have the handprints

All over the living room

I didn’t think

It would be so hard for you

Being with me

Staying with me

Just for a few days

Until the fire went out

But you had a really

Hard time of it

Didn’t you?

I didn’t think

You’d have such

A hard time

When you finally

Got to leave

The air was still tropical

And tinged

I wanted another day

Just another day

Where we had no choice

But to love each other

I lit a match

I dropped it

I don’t remember where

I sat outside

And waited

For the trucks

And the sirens

But they never came

They were all still busy

Putting out

The last of the church fire

And the surrounding blocks

My building went

All the way up

And nobody came

To stop it

You were long gone

By then

I was left standing outside

Waiting to hear something

That would tell me

Help was on the way

You ever see somebody

Sitting outside

Listening for a sound

They’re never going

To hear?

I’m sure I looked

Pretty sad

I bet I looked

Like the saddest person

On earth