a nice non dream comfy sleep when i smelled smoke
not much to concern me people use woodstoves up here,
so i turned over and went back into heavy sleep; but
my dogs began barking in a high pitched scary way,
i thought maybe we were being trespassed on, robbed....
so i woke up and as i rubbed my eyes the smoke smell was so strong,
i wondered why someone was burning anything, it was not cold out
the winds were extreme as well, almost rocking the house
my little boxer heidi barked madeningly, my mastiff hulk
woofed like he was caught under something calling for help
i looked out the windows, didn't see anything strange
still the mad barking, so i went to the end of the house and
looked out the window, across the pasture rolling directly towards
us was a wall of flames! no less than fifty feet away, a raging wildfire!

omg omg omg omg omg omg i called 911
still not all the way awake i moved by fear, adrenalin
firemen, forest rangers, and trucks were everywhere,
at least thirty vehicles worked and still the fire raged
it wrapped around us in the most terrifying experience of my life
on blew the damn wind, feeding it, fanning it, kissing the flames
the embers jumped through the air multiplying it; before long we
all were engulfed by the wildfire, men using water from trucks
as if they had garden hoses, not much helped; we were trapped
the fire now easily 50 ft high moved and the winds gave not a break,
twelve feet from blowing us all away the wind changed and
the men put out that area, barely it missed our propane tank
i phoned my kids and parents; said goodbye i love you; just in case...

rangers and firefighters put out the small fires but this fire burned on
by the grace of god or the universe my dogs and i were spared,
but the truth is they saved our lives; woofing until i saw it
it burned our eyes, we couldn't breathe, then bulldozers came in
making a 'fire ring' ....i was asurred we would be safe, of course
then with the winds; two nights later it was out of control again,
unbelievably, -at first the fire rescue and forestry didn't believe me,
'there's a fire ring mame don't worry, the fire won't jump out'
well, wrong, i surely thought we were going to die, by this
time i had not slept for days and eerily there were no birds,
no wildlife sounds of any sort for these long five days
it was creepy scary, the second time my property was
'saved' they actually put out the fire in the fire ring,

so now we are all safe and sound, the resiliance of nature
astounds me; new bright green growth over woods and pastures
the dogs snore again whilst sleeping, the birds have returned
the frightening moments forgotten by all the world of nature
but me, i cannot forget, for the first time in my life i am afraid
of the woods i so love, the endless skies tease me with beauty
breezes and winds say to me like a mantra move move move move
leave leave leave leave move move move move get away get away
i sit here like a gaurdian, a watcher, a silent sentry, my skin crawls,
everytime i'm away anciety fills me until i return seeing home intact
hearing the dogs say hello, i love you, welcome back! biskets?
i'm going to go, no place is worth death whilst sleeping
any day now i will get the nerve to put it up for sale,


my heart is torn, my mind is blown, my soul in tatters.

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