Smoke thick as winter fog filled the hall

Smoke thick as winter fog filled the hall,

silence where sirens should have screamed.

A faint blue burner kept on its call,

while plastic curled like melted dreams.

The neighbors raced with clattering feet,

but the warning stayed mute, unheard.

Heat flickered beneath the stubborn seat,

no shrill, no shriek, no urgent word.

We stood exposed in choking air,

waiting for the scream that never came.

The fire spread its quiet snare,

and left behind a scorched frame.

The silence screamed where alarms failed,

a whispered threat, a ghost unveiled.