Wildflowers by Sammy Mellman

i used to see wildflowers’ vivid royal hues
now i smell wildfires’ grey and hazy fumes
every night i’m wired and i’m looking at the news
our home is not a haven, it’ll soon be threatened too

a firefighter faltered in the frightful big blaze
a tree fell on her forehead, consumed by thick flames
never have i ever traveled to the smoky mountains
but i’m passing through the Catskills as a drought’s been happening

a weekend upstate’s an infrequent escape
from the constant noise of the capitalist’s cityscape
nowhere can i go to where there’s danger i’m safe from
i can feel it in the sacrum repeating verbatim

particulate matter is filling up the air
carried by the wind from a violent, amber flare
precipitating ashes caching over all the land
redistributing a natural contraband

i’ll wait for the rain to fall and then
we’ll raise some wildflowers again

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