Bolt

I'm in the hall on the phone Jen's in her room watching "Neighbours" Dad's in the bath whistling Mum's on the sofa reading yesterday's papers When suddenly the house is lit to every corner By a stupendous burst of all-seeing light The bolt left its cloud Scribbled miles down An empty page of heaven Landed on our roof Leapt from room to room And vanished with a deafening boom Diminished chord of panicked screams A smell in the air like chlorine Cacophony of barking dog and burglar alarm A scorch mark in the centre of my trembling palm I stare bewildered at the telephone hanging from the wall Now a flower of charred and twisted beige It was only a wrong number I just hung up the call That was so close You were so close I almost recognized the voice