As Cyclonic Fire

                                           by

                             Mark M. Lichterman

                                      Verse One

September, October and November

Reservoir water levels down,

drought conditions apply

Southern California water rationing enforced.

October promising a bit of rain

but no,

not till mid-November,

then…

Rain!

Seven months without,

within days of the season’s first rain,

brown, burnt-out shrubs and wild grass

magically,

once again turn green and the seasonal

process begins anew.

Rain…

 and more rain

The worse the weather

the better the weather…

to a point.

Overflowing water flooding denuded

previous burn areas as rivers of sludge

inundate mountainside and wooded

localities destroying home after home.

Walls of mud closing canyon roads,

as loosened earth allows bounding

boulders onto Pacific Coast Highway.

                                     Verse Two

December, January and February

Breathtakingly beautiful in their distance:

snowcapped mountains peak into and disappear

within pure white clouds back-dropped by

startling blue skies.

California poppies abundant,

hills and prairies dotted with red, pink and blue flowers.

Daily sunshine along with intermittent rain resurrecting

dry prairie grass and sun-browned shrubs effectuating

mile upon mile of flower dotted green umbrage.

Occasionally seen on the velvety green hillside

herds of grazing cattle, horses or sheep.

Lake Tahoe to the north,

Yosemite Park mid-state, 

Big Bear to the south,

whereupon lowering snow lines

opening mountain resorts

to a constant stream of vehicles 

bearing skies and snowboards.

                                         Verse Three

March and April  

From the high Sierras flow fifteen to twenty

feet of melting snow runoff filling reservoirs

allowing sluice gates to open permitting

capricious amounts of water to flow

imperceptibly downhill from north to south

within the hundreds of miles of California’s

snaking, southbound aqueduct system.

Wild growth upon mountains, hills and prairies

now distantly showing as mottled green foliage

                                            Verse Four

May, June and July

California beauty,

prelude to disaster

Last notable rain in early March.

Reservoir water levels down,

forthcoming drought conditions apparent

Southern California rationing suggested.

Moisture now a nonexistent memory as draught stricken,

sun-browned scrub grass and dead shrubs cover mountains,

hillsides and prairies. 

                                                 Verse Five

August, September and October

California beauty,

prelude to disaster

Ignited by:

a cigarette flipped from a speeding car

a blowing ember from an illicit campfire

a spark from the hoof of a horse

a striking bolt of lightning…

or purposely set.

In wild abundance,

sun-browned scrub grass and dead shrubs

Ignite…

and quickly,

running with the wind,

within seconds:

running with the wind,

pine trees igniting explosively

highly combustible scrub grass and dead shrubs

become a conflagration consuming all within its path.

Ten, twenty, thirty miles distant,

appearing as a wide red glow on the far distant horizon,

day becomes night.

As a hurricane of fire…

As Cyclonic Fire:

Running with the wind, out of the hillside,

ripping through evacuated residential neighborhoods

tall palm trees igniting as Roman Candles on the Fourth of July,

homes burnt to the ground, naught but standing chimneys remain.

Ten, Twenty, thirty miles distant,

night becoming day,

black smoke appears as storm clouds on the far distant horizon as,

carried in the air, specks of gray ash fall upon all within the wind’s path.

                                                   Verse Six

December, January and February

California poppies abundant,

hills and prairies dotted with red, pink and blue flowers.

Daily sunshine along with intermittent rain resurrecting

dry prairie grass and sun-browned shrubs effectuating

mile upon mile of flower dotted green umbrage.

                                           California beauty,

                                           prelude to disaster