When I was little, I used to play with this girl named Dominique across the street from me. She lived in an ugly beige apartment complex, and I lived in a ugly brick duplex. She was rude and tall, and I was rude and tall. We meshed. Our bond was strong.
One afternoon, as I was leaving a park near my house, I saw smoke in the distance. It felt odd. As I got closer, I could see it was coming from Dominique’s apartment building. I began to run.
When I got to my house, my Mom was already outside. I tried getting past her, but she stopped me in her arms. I buried my head in her stomach and started weeping. The whole neighborhood, or at least those who were home, had gathered in their yards and in the street to watch the flames take over the old, paint chipped building. I hated them all in that moment.
That said, I’m pretty sure this new JAW GEM’s joint, “Sleep Arena,” was playing overhead out of the tornado siren speakers during that whole shebang. Makes sense, at least. Very evocative of drama and LIFE.
[Writer’s note: I later learned Dominique was not home during this incident. We lost touch. Hope she’s well!]
[Second writer’s note: No one else burned to death that afternoon. Was actually a pretty small event. Don’t even remember if I ran home or not. I did cry though. I was a crier.]
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