Up In Flames

The old veteran lost
almost all his possessions.
The house burned to the ground.
He lost all his books,
valuable antique furniture,
china and memorabilia.
He also lost his cat.
The city sent him a letter...
they would demolish
his uninhabitable home
and assess him for the expenses
for cleanup,
including removing the tree branch
that had fallen,
struck the power lines
and caused the fire.
It’s a high-crime area.
He had to think of a benefit,
moving to a much safer place would be one.
His personality has changed since the fire.
He was sad and gruff but started to come around.
He's more content, more accepting
of what's happened to him.
He still feels the loss, but he's changed.
He probably will never be able to get over
what he lost in that fire, though.