Canto I
The School in the Clouds
To hear the poem read aloud, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT5y9xfh-HE
The fires continued to blaze through the night,
Upending the dreams and the hopes of the town.
The burning apartments and houses fell down,
Collapsing and crumbling into the black dust.
The aid workers, in whom they'd all put their trust,
Were absent, for fed'ral disaster relief
Was cut from the budget. What terrible grief
The town endured, void of felicity now.
A young woman ran, as sweat dripped from her brow,
Her whole body ached, and she struggled to breathe.
The fire behind her did rage and then seethe,
And she was the last to escape from the ville,
The flames growing hot as she ran there uphill.
She cried out in pain as the heat grew intense,
And from the black smoke there was just no defense.
She fell and then sobbed, thus succumbing to pain.
There's no way here out, she thought; what was to gain
By heaving and struggling in agony's way?
She might as well stop; there was no help that day,
For the firefighters would not reach in time.
She hoped her own fam'ly had managed to climb
Their way out the fires; she hoped they were free,
Now even though she'd lost her will to now flee.
She closed her eyes, and then she lay on the ground.
With all of the anguish she felt herself drown,
The pain turning numb, for the end was now near.
She felt no hope in her, nor pain and nor fear,
For it'd be soon over, her life would be gone.
And though she would not live to see the next dawn,
She hoped for a better tomorrow for all
Survivors, who'd left as their houses did fall.
Her vision turned black; she was ready to fade –
Just then, newly clean air did come to her aid,
Surrounding her face, so she could breathe again.
She sat up and gasped, as the heat faded then,
And turned and she stared. Though the fires did blaze,
She now was immune. So the heavens she praised,
For now she would live on and survive that day!
But who had now saved her from doom's deadly way?
She looked above, and then her eyes did go wide.
She saw a young faerie, who above did glide,
YOU ARE READING
A Nation on Fire
PoetryThe people of California are tormented by forest fires, fueled by the advent of manmade climate change. Because the U.S. president has ordered all disaster relief to be curtailed, the number of casualties go up. Just as Ally is about to be consumed...
