Wildfire

Like whips snapping Flames lap brush, trees, homes, creating an inferno Windswept embers blow from rooftop to rooftop From tree crown to tree crown Popping, crackling Houses collapse, one after another Neighborhoods gone in an instant Tens of thousands escape with only shirts on their backs One-fourth of a city of 250,000 Fleeing under evacuation orders A hospital emptied Nursing homes cleared Electricity shut down Armies called to action Firefighters by the hundreds on ground and overhead To save property, lives Losses horrific, like an Armageddon Nothing to salvage Ash to ash Tears and lament Why didn’t the Amazon package in the melted metal mailbox burn?

Why did one house stay untouched while those on each side burst into flames?

Why did the Virgin Mary statue stay standing in the scarred garden?

A picture of hell for many A hope fulfilled for others to find their homes still standing No one knew what was coming that Saturday afternoon Like the family who had bacon and eggs for breakfast in their kitchen Only to be homeless by late afternoon Or the VA Hospital staff who cared for the stroke patient Only to transport him to the Convention Center for refuge Or the whole city who woke up to a sunny summer’s weekend Only to attempt sleep at night in grief and unknowing A single spark Becomes a mighty fire Burning indelible scars on its victims Let us pray for hope Let us pray for recovery Let us pray in gratitude for community that comes together to support, care, and minister to a wound so great where the devastation still cannot remove the feltsense of compassion Pat Kowal August 2026