memory palace in flames

memory
she thinks
is like a house on fire
forcing mind into perennial present
flames monstrous in brutal beauty
stark revelations 
only to be scattered in ash and ruin
cherished rooms
once filled with laughter
and tears
and quiet morning comforts
now all engulfed in roaring madness
she came through this door
for something
for somewhen
for someone
but it all burns furiously fast
leaving blackened lintels
and knobs too hot to touch
no closure on the unremembered
she can only watch
an outsider on her own life
as forgotten mementos blacken and burn
curling into insignificance
while she mutters vain imprecations
against the consuming destruction