Days of Ashes
Living in Southern California can be terrifying at times…
especially when your home is surrounded by wildfires.
Days of Ashes belongs to the following groups:
All Things Poetic, Artistic, Philosophical and The Word TreeWatching the dragon of fire
devour the mountains,
my hair begins to gray
with the ashes of someone else’s life.
Day after day
I wake afraid—
drawn to the street
with the other strangers
of my neighborhood.
The community of fear
takes the place of unknown names
and greetings never uttered.
We all look for a sign
that the beast is turning away;
wondering if it will feed enough
on the hillside homes between us
to be satiated and sleep.
If we feel shame at these thoughts
we do not share it.
The ashes which cover us
as we keep our vigil
smell of cedar and pine,
and I can’t help thinking about
childhood campfires
and the burned sugar taste
of blackened marshmallows.
Someone wonders aloud
if the animals feel much pain
when they burn to death like that,
and I retreat to the house,
where I turn off the news,
pack my memories and cry.
Miri
this is really powerful, really love it
the lines ‘my hair begins to gray
with the ashes of someone else’s life.’ – great
hoboannie
Thank you for the compliment, and for the watchlist-ing!
All the best- hoboannie