dear God,
in the babysitter's mind?
She had run outside
leaving the twins
behind
and now shivering
barefoot
in the new fallen snow
while the house
was an inferno
with its hellish glow.
Careless smoking
was the cause
as the fire marshall cried.
and it was his own daughter
to blame
for her suicide.
He drank himself to death
because his anxiety
built
a shaky wall
against
this family's guilt.
Many years later on this property
and another house
now stands.
The babysitter's ghost
holds that cigarette
in her hands.
She keeps banging on the door
while barefoot
in the snow
although the new dwelling
remains unoccupied
and any sale will be slow.
The locals will tell you the tragic stories
of the 4 names
ending in death.
Yet the babysitter
still returns
with her frozen breath
as she knocks
on the door
while barefoot in the snow
holding
the burning cigarette
and its hellish glow.
******