Feast
or famine in the Golden State
Months
of no rain left it a dry powder keg
Days
of scorching heat--major fires to create
Miles
of hillsides in flames, firefighters on last legs
Over
miles of vegetation and 8,000 structures
burnt to the ground
42
dead headed to the morgue--dozens of race horses burnt to death
Survivors
shaken by the howling winds of flame, rain of flaming embers hurtling down
Heat,
smoke and ash tearing one’s eyes, taking away one’s breath
Dante’s
Inferno and total disaster for days on end
Billion
dollars of damage along with dreams and memories destroyed
For
Brown the sign of the new climate change destructive trend?
Mother
Nature unchecked no matter how many firefighters and planes were deployed
Now
still recovering from the near knockout punch by fire
We
were hit by punch two of the one two combo blow
With
firefighters exhausted needing to rest and from battle lines retire
Rain
falling in inches by the hour on bare hills with no place to go
But
down the hill side in a muddy unrushing wave
A
moving wall of mud and debris with gravity picking up speed
Destroying
homes that somehow from the fires the
firefighters saved
Killing
at least 15 who the warnings to evacuate did not heed
If
your home is in a mudslide’s path
Matters
not how much fortune or fame
Or
in Oprah’s case how well she practiced her craft
Total
destruction by mud, a sad cruel end to homes that survived the earlier flames.
©
January 10, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet
for Hire, Poems to
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Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift
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