Now You See Them

There were five us.
We knew that all we had to do
was to make it through
the little patch of sunlight
that might fry us alive
and then we could continue
on our journey.

I watched the first disappear
in a puff of smoke. Instant cremation!
No joke. The second
of our party unthinkingly followed
and was instantly gone.

The third, her husband, must have known
life would be unbearable
without her and stepped in. The fourth:
I’ve never liked him. All it took
was one little push.
I almost got my fingers burned.

I never mind being on my own.
I took a photo and walked back
along the quiet shaded path alone.