How to Walk Away from a Burning Building

I would tell you--

That the house

Is going to burn down

Whether you walk away

Or not

I would tell you

To feel that heat on your back

And you just know

You know

That you can stand there

Gawking if you want to

But the house is gone

And so is everything in it

So what’d you leave in it?

How many houses burned down

When you were growing up?

And how many times

Did you see me

Standing there

Crying about it?

Most of the time

We were gone

Before the firefighters

Even showed up, weren’t we?

Weren’t we?

I know your first one

Is tough

My first one

Was tough too

Because somebody

Put a lot of work

Into that house

And people lived there

Before you did

And there were probably
A lot of memories there

For somebody

But listen

When you think

Of how many people

Are treated like they’re disposable

Just because they’re in the way

Of something

Somebody else wants

A house doesn’t seem like

All that big a sacrifice

Now does it?

Does it?

The second time

I burned one down

I forgot to go in

And grab your favorite doll

And you remember

What I said to you?

I said some people

Would have burned the house down

With you in it

Because some people

Don’t put value on anything

They just destroy, destroy, destroy

That’s not what I did

And that’s not

What you’re doing now

You are trying to start over

And some people

Will try and make you

Feel bad about that

But not me

Not your Mama

You start fresh

As many times

As you want

Because what’s

The alternative?

Keep going down the wrong road?

Turn around, bitch

You heard me say that to you

How many times growing up?

Turn around!

That’s what you’re doing now

It’s okay to be shaken up

I was plenty shaken up

Even after the tenth time I did it

Because it’s scary

And you’re taking a risk

But the shaking

And the crying

And all that?

That’s how you know

You’re doing the right thing

But you do all that in private

You don’t stand there

Letting the neighbors

See you weak like that

No shame in being weak

But no point in being public

About it, is there?

So you cry in the car

As you’re pulling out

And driving away

And you drive here

And you have some tea

And when you’re ready

You tell me

What you left in that house

And I’ll tell you

Whether or not

You need

To replace it