Blazing Fear

A poem about a great fear

Photo by starush

This poem is part of the NaPoWriMo 2024 challenge to write a poem a day in April. This is the prompt for April 25:

Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem based on the “Proust Questionnaire,” a set of questions drawn from Victorian-era parlor games, and adapted by modern interviewers.

I chose to answer the question: What is your greatest fear?

Flames flicker, swallowing the tunnel's air,
      I see fire, bus, hear despairing cries.
      Engulfed in heat’s embrace, trapped in the blaze,
      A fiery dance, a treacherous labyrinth.
Passengers shout, their faces marked with fear,
      Their eyes reflecting terror, strain, anguish.
      The tunnel's walls crumble, a fiery end,
      In this recurring dream, my fear resides.
The smoke stifles my words, smothers my cries,
      From this inferno, I seek an escape.
      Embers scorch my skin, searing pain engulfs,
      Who will rescue me from the fiery depths?
On nights I revisit this nightmare's world,
      Trapped in the dream’s grip, my fear burning bright, 
      I awake from the dread, my fear blazing,
      My morning overshadowed, my day shite.

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