The Campfire Keeps Going Out and Brian Doesn’t Care

The campfire keeps going out

And Brian doesn’t care

He’s sitting by the embers

And telling me about his girl
And what she told him

Before he left

I hear the words

I rub my hands together

To keep them warm

And get back to the work

On relighting the flame

But Brian just sits

And sips his beer

And tells me

That he doesn’t care

We’re camping by ourselves

Out by the lake

Where I used to talk to God

Before God stopped responding

Everything’s louder here

The way the twigs snap

The way the birds bark

The way the water hits the shore

When there’s a storm

And even when there isn’t

I got the fire going

When we first arrived

But when I started putting up the tent

I turned around

And saw what looked like a spot

That had never seen a fire

In its existence

Brian was standing nearby

Drinking a beer

And he said he saw

The fire go out

But the way his voice stayed low

Made me think

He had something to do with it

But why?

Over the night

The fire went out

Five more times

And each time

Brian would offer to help me

Start a new one

But we both know

I’m the only one

Who can get it going

Brian’s a good guy

But when it comes to camping

All he’s good for

Is company

He brings his own six pack

Three of them, actually

And he tells me

About how his girl wakes up

In the middle of the night

And hits him

On his face and his chest

And screams at him

And about him

And then wakes up the next day

Telling him

It never happened

He said last night was really bad

And this time when she woke up

She was cooking breakfast

And he showed her

The bruises

But she told him

That she didn’t care

Not that she didn’t remember

But that it didn’t bother her

‘What do you want me to do?’

I should have felt bad for Brian

But something about the way

He was sucking down those beers

Made me think I should call his girlfriend’s sister

When I got a chance

And tell her to go do a wellness check

I knew the girlfriend’s sister from high school

We went out until I got into my accident

And then she never called me after that

Brian tells me

He wants to go for a swim

But it’s pitch black by the lake

And the temperature is dropping

I don’t tell him not to though

He strips down to his boxers

And goes running

Towards the water

I look down

And see the fire

Coming up

To my face

For a second there

I think it’s going to singe me

But it pipes back down

And then the next thing I know

It’s out

But it goes out

Different

Than I’d ever seen it do before

Like it’s being pulled

At both sides

Snapping extinguished

As if it could get itself

Yanked into the air

Down by the water

I hear a splash

And I know that whatever

Goes down tonight

Brian doesn’t

Care