If you were a burning building,
I would run in,
have my skin dance with your flames,
while others take swimming lessons
and worry if they bought the best
brand of sunscreen.
Even if the dead float better than the living,
they are sunk by matches
that need living fingers to ignite them,
so we shouldn’t overthink the heat,
just let it rain down us,
quenching a thirst too many deny.
Richard LeDue (he/him) lives and teaches in Norway House, Manitoba, Canada. He has been published both online and in print. He is the author of ten books of poetry. His latest book, “Sometimes, It Isn’t Much,” was released from Alien Buddha Press in February 2024.