by George Salamon
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| "As Colorado wildfires burn, fears that climate change is causing 'multi-level emergency' mount." Photo: Calista Morrill, walking with her dogs Lucy, in front and Ollie, not pictured, watches smoke from the East Troublesome fire become lit by the setting sun in Lyons on Oct. 21, 2020. At the time Morrill, who lives in Lyons, said she had packed her bags in case she needed to be evacuated for the CalWood Fire. —Denver Post, October 26, 2020 |
"The world both literally and figuratively is burning. The apocalyptic skies of the West Coast only make that sense more real, more threatening. The urgency of the moment is inescapable." —Gary Hooser, "On behalf of my grandchildren" (an open letter to Kamala Harris), The Garden Island (Hawaii), October 6, 2020
Darkness did not crash down on us
Like thunder, it rolled over us like
The Santa Ana winds, made us sick.
The lingering illness robbed us of
Vision and spirit, smothered the sublime,
Allowed spreadsheets and lists,
Pollsters and pundits to take the place
Of the educated and wise, technology
And efficiency to banish morality and
Beauty from our permanent searching
And seeking and neglect the spaces
That nourished our desire for answers.
The winds are still blowing, but soon
Rivers may refuse to flow, grains refuse
To sprout and the dark of night will fall
On people who no longer know how
To make light.
George Salamon, like Gary Hooser, wants the current captain of our ship of state to return to real estate, but does not think that it will be enough to awaken the humanistic spirit that has gone from "at bay" to moribund in his lifetime.