It was in my throat
The coughing
The desperate attempts to breathe

The casual effects
Of the starter fire
Just a glimpse of light
Trying to take flight

There it is again
In my throat
The polluted air
From the foreign residuals
That had broken away from its form
The coughing
The intense monstrous coughing
The desperate attempts to breathe

My hand covered the desperation
Of the verge of
Coughing, coughing
Yet, again it won’t stop
Examining my palm for the residual
Finding nothing
It was finally over

Taking a deep breathe
Relieved, but nervous
That the air was still not clear
They smiled and asked me
Are you okay?

Unable to speak
I shook my head, yes
Indeed I was okay
But not great
And not better
Than the dragon that lingered near

Cough!
I couldn’t stop it
They who wondered if I was okay
Joined in the
Cough!

The air had warmed with the momentum
Of the compounding coughs
Of the many that was there
The glimpse of light that once appeared
Turned into a flicker of fire
Igniting the air

I felt it move
I struggled to breathe
There was something that was near
Deep inside me I let go
A monstrous heavy cough
Letting out fire in the air
Oh, my dear!

What lies within me
Forming what I presumed to be near
Was already here
The dragon in me
Let out fiery air

They no longer ask me if I was okay
They ran about to avoid the fiery air
They feared the heat
The burning
And the lack of air
They preferred not to be there

I cough again
More controlled
I alarmed them
It was the dragon in me
Now, with no fear
Letting out my fiery air
Scorching everywhere
Not realizing
After the joy had passed
That ashes were left down there.