Remembering the Fire-Charred Plants

On the lake shore

stood an apricot,

in spring’s glory,

Loaded with blooms.

It was spectacular!

But came autumn,

And followed wildfire,

The plant burned.

I wrote an elegy

For the dead plant.

Now there must be

Millions such victims —

Plants, the shelters

For countless critters:

Oak, toyons, sycamore,

And so many more.

The chaparral biome is

Rich in flora.

Now turned to snags.

Some will revive,

Much like the phoenix.

Their tuberous roots,

Evolved for it.

The ashes will bring

Flood of wildflowers.

But premature death

Is always unsettling,

Be it, any life.

Somberly, I remember

The lost plants.

It’s chaparral’s hallmark

To burn in maturity —

But what we see now

Is a climate catastrophe.

If we are so smart,

We must stop

These unfortunate events.

We must protect

Our precious ecosystems

Using our wisdom.