a villanelle by Jeannie E. Roberts
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| “Giant sequoias are hardy souls. They have stood their ground in California for as long as thousands of years, surviving drought, earthquakes and wildfire. With their thick bark and seemingly sky-high crowns, they have generally defied any fire that would turn them into kindling—and even thrived after a burn. The heat causes the trees’ pine cones to burst open and release seeds to the ground. But as hotter blazes like the KNP Complex fire—ignited by lightning on Sept. 9 and still uncontained—headed into the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the Sierra Nevada, the trees needed some extra help. And they got it in the form of aluminum foil. Now, the largest tree, by volume, in the world is cradled in shiny, silvery wrap.” Carla Hall, Los Angeles Times, September 26, 2021. Photo: The historic General Sherman tree is wrapped in protective aluminum foil at Sequoia National Park in California. (Gary Kazanjian / AFP via Getty Images via Los Angeles Times) |
The world is on fire, flames fill our home.
The Earth’s rising heat ignites global burn.
The ushers of aid fall to humans alone.
The forest floors smolder as embers roam.
Infernos scorch fauna, flora, and fern.
The world is on fire, flames fill our home.
Some trees are stalwart, persist as if stone—
most render ash, where Earth serves as urn.
The ushers of aid fall to humans alone.
Encircled in tin, from large base to loam,
General Sherman stood strong, ever firm.
The world is on fire, flames fill our home.
The famous sequoia thrived, held its own—
it beat the fierce grind, conquered the quern.
The ushers of aid fall to humans alone.
Envision our planet polished like chrome,
where vigor exists with each gleaming turn.
The world is on fire, flames fill our home.
The ushers of aid fall to humans alone.
Jeannie E. Roberts has authored five poetry collections and two illustrated children's books. Her work appears in Sky Island Journal, The New Verse News, Verse-Virtual, and elsewhere. Her newest collection, As If Labyrinth—Pandemic Inspired Poems, was released by Kelsay Books in April of 2021. She is a Best of the Net award nominee.