Here in the West
the summer heat
has come on strong
already turned the hills
to tinder
lightning fires
have taken off
not far from here
how will we fare
through coming months
July and August
and on till November
when the autumn rains
should bring relief
I sigh remembering
the year just past
when smoke from wildfires
filled our valley
and our friends
in nearby towns
lost homes to fire
though we've been spared
I can't but feel
a sense of loss
thinking of when
I was a boy
on the East Coast
and June meant
getting out of school
and the bright prospect
of a summer in the sun
at our vacation home
out off the Cape
an island's gift
fresh ocean air
a world away
from these dry hills
that threaten
to go up in flames
on any day
that summer lightning
sparks a fire
and the wind rises