chase dimock

the discovery of fire

Across the bar, I watched him
pick his teeth with a matchstick,
the red sulfur bulb prodding his gums,
and I wondered when it would strike
and when he would ignite.

On my first camping trip, I found
waterproof matches, and I worried
about fires I could not put out.
Flames impervious to water
leaping from the charred logs
and spreading through the forest
until the Earth was a ball of ash
I could not hide behind.

The smoke alarm chirps
longing for a fresh battery
like a canary forgotten
in the coalmine. When I brought
my matchstick man home
I could feel that red light
blinking from the ceiling as though God
was watching and his bloodshot pupil
forewarned of the fire next time.

But when I looked back
at the city burning in the distance
he licked the salt from my neck
and we watched the salamanders
entwine their tails in the flames.

__________

About the author

Chase Dimock lives in a four-person Los Angeles household, including a human partner, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel companion, and a four-foot tall statue of Slimer from Ghostbusters. He serves as the Managing Editor of As It Ought To Be Magazine and makes his living teaching literature and writing. His debut book of poetry, Sentinel Species, came out in 2020 from Stubborn Mule Press. For more of Chase’s poetry, check out chasedimock.com.