Controlled Burn
The Last Flame Challenge
Kevin and I called it quits.
We say we’re just friends now
like it’s a firebreak,
like it stops anything
from sparking up between us.
We keep making heat.
We shouldn’t,
but our bodies don’t remember
why they’re supposed to stop.
We are too good at this—
skin on skin,
the kind of fire that convinces you
nothing else matters
until you’re charred.
After, I swear I’ll be careful.
After, I swear I’ll be cool.
But then I light another match
and act surprised
when I get burned—
because endings take control,
and I keep choosing wildfire.
I say I want peace,
then do things that scorch my soul—
a sharp word,
a boundary crossed on purpose,
a bridge lit from the middle
just to see who flinches first.
This isn’t love anymore.
It’s heat without warmth.
Fire without a place to live.
Endings aren’t infernos.
They’re quieter than that.
They’re the moment you stop feeding the flame,
even though your hands are still holding kindling.
So this is me setting it down—
the match, the wood, the wanting,
the story where we were still smoldering.
About the Creator
Tina D. Lopez
A woman who writes to deal with hurt, mistakes--mine and others, and messy emotions. Telling my truth, from the heart, with no sugarcoating.
My book Love Ain’t No Friend of Mine is available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/6JYBmLH
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