Yet again, I am moved to write about wild fires burning out of control and causing much pain and suffering, this time in Southern California. Here in Australia we sympathise greatly with bushfire victims anywhere around the world as we are so familiar with the distress and immense loss of life and property that these wild fires cause. Not so long ago, Southern Greece was burning, now California and this Summer we are bracing ourselves here in Southern Australia for the bushfire season.
The unrelenting winds created a deadly firestorm across Southern California, with firefighters conceding defeat on many fronts. More than 500,000 people have been forced to move away from their homes, not knowing whether they will come back to find them… It is a terrible thought – get up this moment and leave your house, taking nothing with you, and remembering that everything you own will be lost forever…
Our thoughts here, Downunder are with you, people of Southern California. One hopes that weather conditions will abate and that the fires will be controlled soon…
The Burning
The fire burnt my house
The smoke stifled my breath.
The flames licked my memories
The tablet wiped clean.
Wind-carried sparks surround me
Igniting my flammable mementos.
The embers glow, the hot ash flies
My place of refuge, now a hell.
All’s lost up in smoke,
My eyes are blinded by my fears
My tears making of the flames
A watery incineration.
The earth is roasted dry,
Even the air is fire-red.
My house no more a haven
My home no more.
My pockets empty,
All that I have the clothes I wear.
My mind is desiccated
All dreams have sublimated.
The fire burns, the flames destroy.
All my possessions charred and gone.
The fire cauterising wounds
It itself has opened.
The fire robbed me of my home,
The smoke asphyxiated me.
My souvenirs are smoke
All of my pages, now ash.
And yet I live, I still have you by my side,
Things that are lost no more important than fallen leaves.
Stand by my side, hold my hand, and hope,
For the fire in our hearts, can make of this barren, deathly place
A paradise, again.
This poem was inspired by a news report we watched yesterday, where a news reporter watched his own house burning down…
Hi Nicholas, nice to see you here. I like Blogger better than Multiply, not so much the Mash look, Multiply is another playground.
ReplyDeleteGo to customize, then to blog elements and simply add my URL, it will show on a column like yours will show on my blog. I'm adding you now. Good night.
A wonderful poem. You are a great poet. Nice to find you here as well. I think Blogger is the perfect spot for serious bloggers.
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