Perth, Australia, Sat. morning (Sean Blocksidge/Perth Dept. of Fire and Emergency Services, via A.B.C.) sing, o goddess, of roaring fires,
dense and devouring, of gulping floods that dragged down mortals or covered them under thundering, sliding earth. which lands suffered the punishing blows? s. california, for one, where gusts from the dry east came sweeping down the plains to the sea, & though it be winter, it feels like summer there, lush green turned to sere paleness, where any foolish spark now turns towns & forests into ash throughout all seasons of the year while on the plains, look — tall grass sifting in nebraska winds now crackles in the fires, driving men before it, their water blown away before it reached the blaze and flames licked at the walls of perth, homes burned, roads closed, power ceased; so, too, the skies of valparaiso flashed a lurid orange, washed with smoke, as thousands fled deluge, too, rolled forth, pouring foul filth into balkan waters; singaporians watched as rains rolled on, two feet in two weeks; unceasing rains in philipines caused a host of families to go in search of higher, drier ground the sinister hand of famine shadowed the fertile land of ukraine: summer & autumn brought drought, breaking open earth and blighting grain in first frosts. now boreas blows a mighty draft of arctic air, sweeping across the flatlands, heading to kill the wheat and say, o muse, what records were smashed . . . hottest year on record (by far) was russia’s 2020; hottest jan. day in turkey in georgia in russia; wettest jan. ever in tamil nadu, india; most days over 15 f in frigid buffalo, n.y. and tell us, o goddess, which of the immortals visited these scourges upon the human race? goddess? . . . o muse? . . . hellooo . . . ??
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June 2021
Kristin Prevallet Author/Editor
I'm a writer & teacher in Lawrence, Kansas who actually believes the scientists. I wrote a book of poems called Of Some Sky that seems to have something to do with all this. |