POETRY: Lessons in Thermodynamics

If only you
knew
how close to you
this fire rages
you might back
away,
afraid to get
burned,
amazed, awestruck.
Wondering
how you could have missed
such a blaze,
giving off such intense
heat. Sparks
exploding into the sky
all around you.
But—no.
You, oblivious,
habitual, remain
heedless of the
conflagration
underlying this smooth
veneer of mildness,
domesticity, conformity,
agreeableness.
Seeing only what you
want to see.
If only you
knew . . .
you’d be less likely
to get
burned.