POEM - Inferno

An unseasonably hot day in May
Errant spark from a power tool
Wind from the devil’s forge

Another fire in the tinderbox hills
Above Santa Barbara
Where the brush is dry
the humidity low

We’ve been here before
But every fire’s different
Like women and snowflakes
Every fire brings its own will to bear

Fire in the mansion
Fire in the barn
Fire in the oak grove
Fire in the eucalyptus
Fire in the neighborhood of million
dollar homes

Smoke-filled sky
Crimson moon
The stars hide their faces

Evacuation warnings
News bulletins
Helicopters in the sky
Firefighters on the lines

When the reverse 911 call comes
Play it safe
Pack the cars
With photo albums and children’s drawings
Jewelry and a box of love letters
Things that cannot be replaced
Leave the rest behind
Close the windows
Lock the doors
Shut the gas off

Flee through the smoke-filled night
This isn’t Lebanon or Gaza City
It just feels like war
Like the end of the world is waiting around the corner