california wildfires – Carpe Noctum

Orange Country

it seems you got your wish.
no june bugs left to bother you.

their crusted bodies
dissipate, spreading like spice

across the earth.
spice in the dirt.

spice in your hair.
the remnants that circle

in galactic dance,
onward towards andromeda.

i dare you to look to the sky –
that jaw-dropping sunset

every single night.
if you strain your eyes,

you might see mars
and venus. stargaze on the hills

to escape the rising sea.
where can i go

to watch my city
burn – the clementine fields –

the amber-dust beach –
mandarins crystalizing

between my teeth.
i grew up

where birds had voices –
where they sang

all through the day
and all through the night

and never took no for an answer.
migrating geese

battled ducks to the death.
the trees prepared for winter –

the sky, a gentle blue –
birds with purple eyes

if that is what you’d like.

come to the trees, dear brothers, dear sisters,

let us worship what we fear

where have i been?

burning with el dorado – that golden city glow

over the event horizon.

Fire stretched over it spiraling in eternally

light to may not escape, but god, how good it glows.

You are here, the most beautiful thing i’ve seen –

You are the graveyard full incarnate

how could anyone look upon You

and not believe in god –

this You

who turns all ninevehs to feathers –

who drags rome to its knees in a heap at Your feet –

even phoenix songs die in the dust

for we all knew this day would come

this orange flood to cleanse the earth –

thank god

we’ve lived to see it –

what shall we say to the god of death?

i say when,

you say now

now