we are working on a house
where a fire came through
less than five years ago
I remember right after
the thing was contained
driving through these woods
it looked like a bomb went off
a metal garage
had melted into a puddle
which shone dully in the...
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we are working on a house
where a fire came through
less than five years ago
I remember right after
the thing was contained
driving through these woods
it looked like a bomb went off
a metal garage
had melted into a puddle
which shone dully in the sun
I couldn’t imagine
how this area
could ever look alive again
but today at this job site
which overlooks the burn
there are bobcat tracks
in the morning snow
and a new forest
of four foot trees
green with fresh life
springing up
between the few remaining
struck match crisps
of old lodge poles
still standing
it tells me
that the world
is much more resilient
than we could ever imagine
it tells me that fire
is not the enemy
but something like
a necessary apex predator
one which keeps
the world in balance
of course the loss of lives
and things is awful
and watching so much burn
in these places
in these cities
in these forests
I’ve loved
is horrible
but fire like mold like rust
like wolves like eagles
is the world’s way
of keeping everything in check
we don’t want the world to burn
not all at once
not with super storms
not in a way which ruins lives
but looking out
over the green in the after burn
I realize
we don’t want the world
to never burn either