Smoke and Ashes

I
Keep
Fighting
As days
Turn to nights
Turn to nightmares
The world spins on
And off-balance
I fall

Landing
in a flashback
My body on fire
From every touch
Smoke and ashes
Claim what's left
of my childhood

Dreams come slowly
Backwards and
Upside-down
As I struggle
against memories

They burn
Like lit matches
Scorching my fingers
Before dropping
into the dirt
And dying from
Lack of oxygen

Everyone acts
Like life is the same
But my world is wobbling

I reach for
Understanding
Help
But find only a chalk outline

And now I have to piece
Myself back together
Without showing my scars

I keep fighting

For what?