After the Burn, Soberanes Fire, 2016
Long after burning chaparral has been extinguished,
an acrid rasp lingers, still singes lungs.Orange ash drifts, compliments a pink sunrise,
gilds cypress silhouettes with coronas of gold.Falling particulate leaves a greasy smear
across subtle waves within copper bay.Fewer sea birds populate empty beaches,
not a single harbor seal or otter in sight.Fog and smoke comingle, smell like morbid winter.
Hillsides resemble charred lunar landscapes, barren and gray.
September 2026
