From One Book Lover

Last summer, I challenged readers to write a " burning house " poem: if your people and pets were safe, what would you rescue from your burning house? This was Stacy's poem, and I'm privileged to share it with you.   Pondering the Question I. If I had to leave my home? Evacuate. Flee before the flames, Retreat from the advancing wildfire. To preserve my life, my loved one’s lives. What would I take? What would be important to me? Too important to leave? I have been pondering the question. Thinking. Not of ID and insurance, Titles, deeds and bank documents. What possessions do I need? What material goods? What objects? What things? What stuff do I need from my life to continue that life? Well, obviously, I will need my computer, my phone. How could my life as I know it continue if I lose all of my electronic information? What else would I have to take? Photograp...

Years ago, I watched news coverage of a California wildfire on television and asked myself, "What would I take with me in a fire?" Of course, I had to up the ante, so I tossed in a little more tension. This was the resulting poem.  It's actually an amazing mental exercise: if all of your peeps and pets were safe, what belongings would you take with you? Set your own boundaries (car or carry, etc.) and answer the question yourself. Maybe the answer is your next poem. The valley is on fire and it comes as no surprise to me.   I grew fond of the dense grainy sunset, and the ashes on the porch were a welcome sight.   They helped me think. But my eyelid still twitches when I get the empty boxes from the trunk of my Chevy, and when the cat scratches her litter I freeze, sure it is your tires crunching up the gravel driveway.   I’m not a coward, but I know my strengths.   You are not among th...