Transfer Request

I asked to be sent here

from upstairs.

Up there,

you know,

where all the good people go?

Those people who remembered

to blow out the candle

beside the baby's crib

before they went to bed.

Those people who never

had a candle

beside the baby's crib at all.

You can take me or not.

I only know I can't stay up there.

But if you're looking for a fresh soul

to feed your fires,

I don't have one to give.

For my soul has already been burning

for years

and years.

The bit that remains,

chipped and charred, barely recognizable,

just like the police report said

after they got there too late.