Longer Than Fire

The brightest colors
Leave the deepest black.
Waving oranges, dancing yellows,
Fleeting blue.
In concert
They lick across the car.
The car facing into traffic,
Driver’s side on the cement divider.
Former passengers
Stand safe from the heat.
But still, their emanating fear
Is charred into concrete.
Fleeting beauty
Immortalized.
Fear lasts longer than fire.