Fireball

The light shaded my home
in the eeriest of yellow,
as if sunset, forced too early,
cried and bellowed.

The clouds weep of ash,
barring heat upon the ground.
The wind came too quickly,
without warning or sound.

The air is still and heavy;
with caution we do breathe.
Our homes, our only haven,
we hesitate to leave.

We listen for the cries
of those who shout in horror.
We run to help our neighbor,
The heat cutting to our core.

We worry for all those that lost,
whose lives are all asunder.
Who will come to rescue them?
This is what we wonder.

We worry for Mother Nature,
her creatures large and small.
Their dens and trees all gone now
in a devastating fireball.

Our heroes are weak with tire,
yet they strive to carry on.
This catastrophe is dire.
Perhaps hope will come with the dawn.

Each year it seems much drier
than the year before.
California is on fire,
I hope and pray no more.