One Day It Might Not Be Us Anymore
The rampant ash storm
That had been stirring for well over a week
Finally settled onto their cheeks
Merging with the dirt of days past
They now existed in a grey-scale of told time.
Sodden skin blended sweat and soot
Shading faces
Like smoke smothers the sun
As the end to long days approach
Smiles of vivacious white teeth erupt
The only pieces left untarnished
By the chaos that fire brings
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‘Fire is hot’ we joke on the line
Something we’re all glaringly aware of
But hope to never truly experience
Our own form of hell
Or feel the fear of
Last resort deployments
Gasping for air in hopes to hold our lungs over
Until the wall of flames that closes in finally passes by
The charred countryside spit shrapnel
At the crew scrambling past
Chasing emerging embers
And strewn debris of molten wood
Flames dance across reflections of intent eyes
That trail the beast
As it gnaws its way through
The green sea in an amber fury
Memories are altered, erased
Engulfed by the fire that rushes by
Leaving yet another life
Emblazoned on the mountain
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Sometimes I wonder
When it will be me, or you
Who is the next goodbye
What lesson will we learn
For years we’ve been digging
Line after line
Adding a multitude more to ourselves
Wrinkles in time.
Reading between the lines
On our faces
Stories appear
Relaying what has brought us to this moment.
Bright eyed we speak of our greatest ventures
Long days turned to nights
Which turn into weeks
Which turn into months
The season keeps growing
And we keep trudging along
Hoping for the best
But awaiting the inevitable.
Tonight, it’s the 21st of June
You’ve been rerouted, again- night shift this time.
‘Simply routine, regular.’
I tell myself, in an attempt to ease the prickles
Creeping up my spine
And sticking me like a cushion filled with pins of worry.
I lie in bed alone and wait, wide-eyed, for the morning,
The next shift, the next roll.
As I slip into a short sleep
I see you
And hope
It won’t be the last time.
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