I tried to brush the heat from my skin
But it could not be knocked loose.
I sat in silence, the room empty and bright.
I knew somewhere there were fires going.
Fires that my heart had not wept.
Fires that ate up whole landscapes.
And the whole time I was going insane
Quietly so as not to invite attention.
mindlovemisery 
this is terrific.
thank you
incendiary use of your imagination – so much punch in that last line and I do like:
“Fires that my heart had not wept.”
Thank you so much Laura
shockingly good – compact, tight, but it breathes so much intense emotion – 🙂
And the whole time I was going insane
Quietly so as not to invite attention.
It is an admirable quality to be able to retain civility and composure when we are going insane. Just because all our plausibility structures are collapsing around us is no reason to put on a public display of helplessness.