30 Poems in 30 Days - Day 3

Day three is to write about some recent news. I chose the California fires.

California Up in Flames

Every year it happens
a careless person drops a
lit cigarette, leaves a
campfire unattended.

Or an evil minded person
wants their fifteen minutes
of fame, so starts a fire
on the coastline of

California and burns
acres of forest land,
homes where people
lose all their memories

saved for years – family heirlooms
lost in fires caused by
another’s lack of concern
for those who live there.

Firefighters battle weary and
frustrated as they know
they can only contain it and
hope for rain to aid them.

Lives will be lost along
with the hopes and dreams
of many, as the fires rage on,
devour all in its path.

So we, in different states, sit
and sigh and shake our heads
while on the news we watch
California up in flames.