Their Souls Melted First

A dark comment on drug abuse. First published in the Northwest Passage.

THEIR SOULS MELTED FIRST
by Alex Wylie

this feels wrong.
smoke tendrils swirling
through dilated eyes.
bodies lying upon bodies.
paper-thin light
strips fog through blinds.

the fire began with the
bong of the clock.
the seams in the floor
spread apart and hell
crept its way up,
wallpaper curls charred at
our feet. wide-eyes
mouths screamed.
their souls melted first.