All Kinds of Fires Inside Our Heads

The number of bodies i have
is equal to the number of
gurney transfers that are
televised.
 
If we’re all “just human”  
then who is responsible?
 
A fire station drying out
from addiction. outside
the drizzling of firepower,
lowballing suns
 
it’s like a sauna in here.
the strain of a charred
bladder. bottled water
bad wiring,
 
that spark is no good
come sit with me for a
minute. my feet full of
diluted axe fluid
 
thought I heard you say
everything is medicine
but that’s just hearin
what you wanna hear
 

Copyright Credit: Nikki Wallschlaeger, "All Kinds of Fires Inside Our Heads." Copyright © 2017 Nikki Wallschlaeger. Used by permission of the author for PoetryNow, a partnership between the Poetry Foundation and the WFMT Radio Network.
Source: PoetryNow (2017)