Playing with fire

[beldarzfixon]

Be careful what you sing for, it is said, you may actually get it.

I should know, as I have heard so many songs. My patience and memory for songs and stories are endless. And some are remembered as lessons.

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the burning of the school,
We have tortured every teacher, we have broken every rule..."

At first, the cruel

Comments

[i_love_freddie]

I really liked this!

[beldarzfixon]

Thanks!

[whirlgig]

So much lovely prose in this, tangled up with musings on spirituality, childhood, the endurance of nature. Just gorgeous.

[beldarzfixon]

Thanks! I was on the verge of overthinking this, then pruned it back to what you see here.

[hosticle_fifer]

Really excellent. Sad but touching, especially for someone who's always nostalgic for senses of place. I liked the 'pantheon', as well!

[beldarzfixon]

Thanks! If I don't survive the gatekeeper vote, I'm confident I went out on a strong note.

[____hejira]

Interesting entry. I love your use of rhyme and language.

[beldarzfixon]

Thanks! I hadn't really considered its poetic aspects.

[halfshellvenus]

I really liked this one. The tone is very thoughtful, and it makes the reader feel for the poor school and its fate, though in some ways it was as loved as it always thought.

[beldarzfixon]

Thanks. It's kinda the "don't know what you've got until it's gone" situation. I remember when I first heard about the fire this is based on, feeling inwardly guilty to remember those stupid little songs -- was that truly what we wanted back when we were in sixth grade? -- and when you can think of a sympathetic connection, no matter how illogical, you can't help but wonder, am I in part to blame for this?

It's like during a college journalism course we wrote fake obits for a couple of aging celebrities, a few weeks later one of them actually died, and the graduate assistant who gave us the assignment freaked out, like the cause of death could be traced back to us.