JolieH

San Diego Fires

Autumn leaves take flight on Santa Ana winds.
Gusts roar like locomotive San Diego bound, on which
a hungry spirit comes to rage a dragon’s war
dressed for Halloween on doorstep takes her treat.

A witches tongue spits embers into October skies.
Black smoke billows from her stage of flaming set,
as sirens scream like Satan’s fans through city streets
and neighborhoods of falling ash and scorched corsage.

Her story drew attention across the glob, as
firefighters battled flames for three straight nights.
Five hundred thousand men, woman, children, and pets
took refuge in city schools, and stadium, waiting

Where on cot and blanket wondered about their homes
stomachs churned in twisted anticipation
as sleepy news reporters followed her trail
posting addresses of burned homes across the screen.

President and governor did come to town,
drawing military force to fight from copters.
Acres of water dropped through billowing smoke
hardly phased her massive strike.

Not till devil winds did die, was she contained
as caravans of fire engines met her stand,
spilling tanks of water on her flaming tongue
to douse her fiery breath.

erikestabrook

this is a subject where there could be no exagerration,

great poem

PaintedDiary

Jolie...that is something! I quite do not know what to say...the poem is the epitome of this disaster and depicts this superbly. Just wow.

Kim

feralpen

Your first two verses immortalized the living entity that raced across the landscape with no respect to persons. They are written with such force... such spectacle. Then, as with the actual event, you brought us the despair in the fires wake and finally the possibility of closure. Exciting with vivid movement, color and passion. Very well done.

fp

Aumakua

Amazing! I Keep hearing about those fires TT.TT ... This poem is really deep and full of such incredible meaning. I could so clearly not only feel but imagine everything you wrote about. From this it seems the fires are affecting you personally... are they? =o

JolieH

Thanks for all your kind comments.
Riha, I was affected by the fires. We were evacuated for three nights and four days. Our house is on the outskirts of town, and it's surround by mountains. The fire was only a few mile to the east and south of us. I didn't think the fire would burn our house because the mountains surrounding my neighborhood burned in the 2003 fires. We were evacuated then too, and I thought our house burned. But the firemen saved our neighborhood from fires all around. We have a lot of old trees in the neighborhood and one that covers my back patio, I thought sure it would catch a burning ember, but we were lucky. I went to my brothers house and watched the news the whole time.

leaddoginteriors

Hey there Jolie,
I love it, especially the picture your poem paints acurate carnage as if the devils own breath was unleashed, excellent work.
p.s
I would realy love for you to e-mail a copy of the photo. thanks