false alarm

the firemen
in their black
coats and steel
helmets
arrive with axes
in hand,
hoses charged
with water,
at the ready
to put out
the fire.
but there is none.
at least not
now, the fire
is gone. we sleep
in separate rooms
smile when we
pass one another
in the hall.
the flame
as it was,
has been
extinguished.