If there was a fire tomorrow by Samantha Savello

                    lauren rushing CC



If there was a fire tomorrow 


When I was a kid, I used to watch videos of people being interviewed
After their house caught on fire 
Before you judge me,

1. I know it’s a weird thing to do 
2. It’s not for the reason you think 

I wasn’t looking up the videos because I’m a sociopath 
Or an arsonist 
I just enjoyed watching because 
In that moment, as the people stood outside of their burning houses 
They truly had nothing material left 
Just each other, and maybe a handful of things they grabbed 
A wallet, an old family photo, a computer 
It always made me think about what I would grab 
If flames started roasting away at my home 
Sometimes I thought about my 1999 Batman figurine 
Which was surely worth thousands by now 
Other times I thought about our family photo album 
Which had black and white photos of everyone 
Dating back to the 1890s 
But then I thought about coming outside of my home
Empty handed 
Looking the cameraman square in the face, pointing to my family and saying 
“Everything worth saving is already outside”

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Samantha Savello is a Puerto Rican-American writer and poet living in New York.