The light of the fire - A poem by Lily

The light of the fire

(Red Sky Picture by Tom Allman)

The light of the fire glows amber yellow with a hue of orange.

The colors, they’re truly beautiful in a scary kind of way… ashes fall on the ground replacing leaves.

The light of the fire glows amber yellow with a hue of orange as they stream through my windowsill shades making patterns on my pillow.

The sky is on fire, it is gleaming a rusty wine red ambiance in Boonville… the Oak Fire in Willits. My friend’s friend might lose her home ….The air is smoky outside and it’s getting worse.

I see thick white – gray smoke, white clouds with black darkness in them… is the devil hiding in there? Is he peeking through the smoke? I shiver at the thought.

I get warning alerts on my iPhone to stay indoors. The alerts say to limit exposure to outside air. I translate that communication as a warning to stay inside and keep the windows shut.

The light of the fire glows amber yellow with a hue of orange…. My coworkers and friends are out of power and food is spoiling…Yesterday, it was clear and now in a blink of an eye, fire, again. It’s almost every year now since 2017.

I think about my body and the tooth infection I have and if I go outside and I breathe in these toxins, what is it going to do to my immune health? How will I be able to breathe and be healthy in this bane of air?

The light of the fire glows amber yellow with a hue of orange… I look out the window and all I see is smoke and haze.

The light is so strange, like I’m a foreigner visiting for a moment on Mars; it’s a strange sensation this feeling of smoky invasions, dare I to go out and water the garden?

Do I attempt the run to take out the trash? Ha-ha! As if it were raining but no it’s just a shower of ashes looking like snow.

The Mendocino fires … the Creek Fire; I think there’s 3 burning! It’s too much to think about; Fire is at all angles. What is happening to California? My mind wonders …

(MAP OF ALL FIRES IN CA)

Maybe I’ll wait a little while now as I stay inside with the air conditioner on a low setting and try to stay safe, protecting my immune system, safeguarding my life as the light of the fire glows amber yellow with a hue of orange through the window….

I trace the patterns of light with my fingers and pray it gets better.

(Pic by Renee W Lee)

I just wanted to share how it feels being surrounded by fires in CA. It's depressing and I know however we will all get through these difficulties. Keep spirits up and a positive outlook. Everything happens for a reason.

Thanks for reading my poem ~ Lily B