Vicki Collins

Simple Answer

Painting, John Cleaveland, 1988
Short Story, “Barn Burning” William Faulkner

Burning his enemies’ barns is a balm
for his vindictive soul. With no formal
schooling, money, or valuable possessions,
Abner Snopes works in tenebrosity, relying
on a dented oil can and wooden matchsticks
for the power and respect he seeks. Like the
Prince of Darkness, he plants small sparks
that grow toward total destruction. The long,
yellow stripe down his back mirrors the tall
peaks of flame lighting the sky as he scuttles
from his maleficent handiwork and latest victim.
Bound by years of sharecropping indentureship,
hiding in the woods, and moving his family
from one shanty to another, he yearns
for some semblance of control. He possesses
no internal fire. For a bitter, complex man,
it is a simple answer: barn burning is a decision
he makes without heat.

{Poem by Vicki Collins}