inferno’s aftermath

Image from Radio Canada (2018)

red-sunset-california-wildfire-1024x576

broken shadows across the cracked ground
skeletal corpses of burned trees
rising eerily above
ancient fir forest floor
littered with creatures
choked by the smoke
victims in
wildfire
ash

A nonet is nine lines of poetry, beginning with first line of 9 syllables, second line of 8 syllables…descending to one line of 1 syllable. The first line of my nonet is taken from W. S. Merwin’s poem, To the Light of September. I am linking to dVerse poets pub where Laura hosts tonight…

22 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. purplepeninportland's avatar purplepeninportland
    Sep 16, 2020 @ 19:56:31

    Gorgeous nonet, Lynn!

    Reply

  2. Björn Rudberg (brudberg)'s avatar Björn Rudberg (brudberg)
    Sep 16, 2020 @ 15:02:05

    That line really lends itself to the disasters of fire… so sad.

    Reply

  3. Jane Dougherty's avatar Jane Dougherty
    Sep 16, 2020 @ 14:21:39

    Terrible images and such a waste.

    Reply

  4. hdwoonie23's avatar Helen Dehner
    Sep 16, 2020 @ 11:49:36

    Here in Central Oregon, choked with smoke we grieve the loss of our forests, wildlife, humans. It is just too overwhelming. Your poem is sobering and true.

    Reply

  5. Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr's avatar rivrvlogr
    Sep 16, 2020 @ 09:28:09

    Very timely, and appropriate.

    Reply

  6. Laura Bloomsbury's avatar Laura Bloomsbury
    Sep 16, 2020 @ 08:03:40

    oh dear – such a sad and catastrophic scene you conjured in so few words with this Nonet
    (1 picky point – line 2 is 7 syllables rather than 8 – perhaps an adjective in front of trees needed or some such to pad it out 1 more)

    Reply

  7. kim881's avatar kim881
    Sep 16, 2020 @ 02:21:13

    A haunting image, Lynn, which is even more so because it is what many Americans are waking up to every day.

    Reply

  8. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli
    Sep 15, 2020 @ 21:37:15

    Your poem is haunting and creates a very clear visual of what’s probably there in those burning forests.

    Reply

  9. Lucy's avatar Lucy
    Sep 15, 2020 @ 20:50:37

    Oh, wow. I can taste the smoke and ash in the final few lines. This is so horrifying what happens today, and you communicate that hauntingly.

    Reply

  10. revivedwriter's avatar revivedwriter
    Sep 15, 2020 @ 20:47:55

    Your words describe a stark scene, all too real in some areas.

    Reply

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