Used to Be Home #fires #California #poetry

natural beauty

cruel embroiled waves

obscured by flames

*

a tricylcle all alone

picture – a melted phone

can’t reach home

For those of you who are in California our prayers are ongoing. We check in by phone and grateful that family can still pick it up. But there are many lines that will never ring again

Thank you Firefighters – yours is a thankless job!!!

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Fueled by Tears #haiku

friction’s burning

heat scorching all the land

painful scars

• 

Fire #Uganda #Atozchallenge

“There’s a fire” a boy points

it looks like dust

the men go to check

flames are raging

inside a small school

men and women rush

saving everything they can

“Get out before the roof falls”

fire brigade of 25 children

“pump pump pump”

children carry 20 to 30 pounds of water

I try to put a bucket on my head

my arms will have to do

brave men push brick walls inward

courageous children pump and carry water

one school is gone

I sigh with relief – “no one is hurt this day”

tomorrow a new challenge

*

Brave children

red hot flames of destruction

tired, sooty smiles

*

This fire happened 3 weeks ago while we were visiting Uganda. Our aim was to teach elementary children during the day  and encourage a home of orphans and staff at night.

In the United States we would stand back and watch as firefighters battled a fire. Not so with these strong people who dragged burning, hot furniture out of a raging fire. Kelly, a 3-year-old, carried bucket after bucket of water to save the school.

In stead of the 16 elementary lessons I had prepared, we spent the week teaching 70 children (4-6 year olds) on the porch of the orphanage. I was thankful for a suitcase of crafts and a butterfly puppet, I packed last-minute, who helped my husband and I teach  daily lessons.

 

 

 

In Life’s Mirror #poetry #uganda #photography

In the mirror of a water bucket I see:

A blur of color

children with bright hearts

flames cannot douse courage

little girls pump, pump, pump

feet steadily move up the hill

“more water”

little heads bear yellow water jugs

school books brown edged

blue chairs too hot to touch

 ashen are next day’s reflections

 parents anxious to know education’s fate

stories told, songs we sang, things we made

in the mirror of my heart

 stout hearts of orphans

 smiles contagious

 over flow of son’s rays of love

*

Fire rages fierce

days merge breeze takes them away

color filled smiles

 

Today’s prompt at Poet’s United is “Mirror.” 

Incendiary #poetry

Edges of flesh

licked by flame

I can’t feel the hurt

am numb to the pain

burns many levels

or so they claim

beyond sensation

no number named

nothing hurts tho

quite as much

when kindness is stolen

human fire’s touch

friend or family

devil’s spawn

take inspiration

leave me raw

debride the tissue

apply agonizing cream

bandage the sorrow

inconsolable dreams

stolen ideals

did you ever think

can’t create own words

in a well of dried ink

This week’s prompt at Poet’s United is Fire. My week started with an accident to my hand (because of fire). No need for much internal inspiration when you feel the prompt.

Kiri Hitoha (arrival of autumn) #haiku #photography #fall

leaves begin to fall

colors wave toward the sky

autumn lights the fire

Carpe Diem’s prompt is Kiri Hitoha or arrival of autumn

Your Arms #poetry #atoz #napowrimo

Maybe it takes walking

through life’s fiercest heated fires

to arrive at  green meadows

feel each blade of grass grow

*

Maybe it takes

enduring life’s harshest foamy storms

to revel in radiant sunshine

as it sparkles in your eyes

*

Maybe it takes

an upending, battering shipwreck

to relish salt’s splash

playing upon cheek and eyelash

***

no matter the fires

the storms or the wrecks

in your loving arms

is where I’ve found warm peaceful rest

Photography “Anchor” copyright L. Moon 2011 © All rights reserved

Wow tomorrow is the last of a month long blogging challenge hosted by the fantastic Ato Z Challenge Team. Thanks to Lee and all his crew as they have encouraged more than 1400 bloggers to do what they do best – write!

This year for  A to Z challenge, I am using the Nautilus as my inspiration all month. The shell has many chambers (at least enough to fit all the letters.)  You will find poetry,  You will find some dark stuff (as I am attempting to branch into the horror genre), You will also see a smattering of short stories or prose (some with children in mind) others as lessons that we can all learn from. I look forward to  meeting you and getting to know some talented writers over this month long writing journey. Please check over at the A to Z challenge and see what they are up to; they are a fine bunch of folks.

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Helpless #flashfiction #newcago

I wanted to cover my ears as the flames licked the sky in Newcago.

“Help me. I’m on fire!”

“I can’t see…”

the wail of a small child

Helpless I watched. The firefighters tried but could not get to the center of the apartment complex.

Then the first bodies…

The charred hand of my favorite professor. He turned that ring around his finger while he lectured.

Find me a lonesome tree in OldYork where I can bury my nightly pain.

But I knew I was the only one who could find the scum who burned people for the hell of it.

******

The gnarled tree is today’s prompt from Friday Fictioneers led by our hostess Rochelle. It’s the kind of tree you could sit beneath for a picnic or a good rant. Have a look at what the Fictioneers are writing about today.

Week 3 in Newcago Serial When the Lights Go On

week 2 in Newcago Serial  Can’t Kill The Thirst

Week 1 in Newcago Serial Secret Weapon

Raze #poetry #photography

This rapid burn

losing ink on my page

raised caulderon of letters

illuminates my mind

for one moment

fueled flash

clarifies the past

I taste the ash

burning my moist lips

holding the last remnant

of you

a little too long

spitting out

the scorched after-taste

realizing

you put this flame

of destruction

in motion

I don’t always use music to inspire my writing but I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift and Red and these words alight

Photograph: “Evening’s Fury” L. Moon copyright 2012

Moving the Elements #NWCU #microfiction

Falling Sun

“I am air” the nymph proudly said to the lion after having her request refused.

“You can neither move me nor displace me. I am fire.”

“Ah we shall see.” the nymph smiled with a half wink

“We shall see…”

Nymphs (especially the air ones) have an uncanny ability to change shape and size.

“It is not a big blow but a small, elemental one required of this beast .” she giggled to herself.

A sleek feline entered the grassy meadow where a maned lion lay fast asleep. She circled first so that the silent air would carry her scent. stealthily she walked up to the beast and whispered “Catch me if you can”

She bounded off into the trees knowing when he caught her scent he would follow. She found another meadowy area and laid down. She rolled crunching the grass and making sure her scent was obvious. Before he arrived, she became a nymph once more and ascended into the trees to watch. He bounded toward the area and waited for her return. He seemed to look sad and displaced but soon roared and fell asleep.

The nymph was tickled but dared not disturb the beast.

“This tea party is the very best you’ve ever had.” all her guests exclaimed. The nymph agreed. The meadow was the perfect setting.

Smiling she thought “Air wins over fiery Mr Lion.”

In the breeze, a lioness returned to the meadow …

Photography “Falling Sun” L. Moon copyright 9/2012

This post is in response to  Natasha Head’s Wednesday Wake Up Call over at New World Creative Union.