Image by Striking Photography by Bo via Flickr
Fire
In my dream,
spot-fires bleed across the foothills,
crest on the summit,
swoop into our valley.
In the morning,
when I awaken,
you are gone.
I wrote this poem a couple of years ago. The night before last, the first stanza actually happened. You may have read of the horrendous wind-fueled fires we had here in Reno yesterday…not far from me. (The second stanza is fictional).
I believe that fire, like change, is a natural part of nature’s cycle–a force that destroys the old and useless to make way for new growth. As much as I hate to think of destruction, we need that friction of two sticks rubbing together to generate creativity.
Coincidently, our charming hostess, Sheila Moore, offers up a prompt about change at dVerse Poetics today. If you’re looking for a fun and exciting way to spend the evening, drop on by and bring a poem of your own. You won’t be disappointed!
Victoria C. Slotto, Author 
powerful brevity in your verse and I hope you and your loved ones are safe from the fires.
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Profound and vivid. Love the picture, too.
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First, so sorry to hear about the fire. You mentioned it the other day but I didn’t focus well. Second, wonderful poem. Everything is vivid and strong and in check— other than the fire of course, but I love your simplicity and care.
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Visually very strong… choice language…then the reflection. I enjoyed how you manged this in so few words.
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Victoria,
You are right! Fire can be an equalizer to ‘rid the old and useless’? (Hope no reference to man) Good twist brought to life!
Hank
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In my dream,
spot-fires bleed across the foothills,
crest on the summit,
swoop into our valley.
love this, you rock.
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The ambiguity of the “you” in the second stanza works very well. Fire, foothills, valley, person … any of them could be gone. You also do very well with few words.
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powerful,
I wonder what’s gone? the stuff in your dream.
Happy Sunday.
🙂
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Victoria, this poem is so elegantly simple and yet so profoundly powerful. It gives me goosebumps.
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Victoria, I echo your sentiments in you middle post-poem stanza. Fire is an element of nature and in such a vehicle to push change, and yes, despite the destruction it may cause, in the grand scheme of things-necessary. Perhaps undesired, but still necessary, and love how you used the word friction and the image of sticks rubbing together, very illustrative.
In the poem I really like how you went from a vivid dream and then awoke, in a seeming void, where by using a lesser amount of words, you still echo the change in the dream stanza, linking it to reality. Great job, thanks
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great images of this element of nature….glad that you are safe ~
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we had a fire training in our company a few weeks ago…and they set different things on fire…tv…pot on a stove etc. and we had to extinct it…and i had biggest respect for those smal fires..can’t imagine how such big fires must feel…well played victoria and also liked what you said about destroying the old and useless to make way for new growth
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Very dramatic contrast between the two parts. We’re at the mercy of elemental forces no matter how our culture tries to fool us. Here in the northeast recently, the force was water. I didn’t manage to make a good poem out of it. This one is very good.
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I wish for a different ending.
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Powerful dream. Who is gone? The fire? I like the mystery of this. You must have been afraid when the dream started to come true. Déjà vu?
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sad …
interesting take on the prompt ..
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I felt that, Victoria. Then, I decided to check my perceptions. Who or what is gone? The sun – obliterated by smoke? A son? A lover? An animal? A distant object? Fear?
Just enjoying your gift…
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A gorgeous contrast here, Victoria. Years ago my companion and I were caretakers of a ranch in the Boulder Foothills; at 4 a.m. on Thanksgiving fire broke out in the grassland and came ribboning up the valley. I hope you’re safe. Do ignore that I’m posting in WordPress- my poem is up at http://parolavivace.blogspot.com –xxxxj
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I hadn’t heard about the fires near you, Victoria. Fire is a scary entity when it is encroaching in your space. I hope all goes well in keeping everyone and everything safe from it. xoxo
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whew…i am glad you are ok victoria…did hear about it but did not realize how close it was to you…yikes…i think fire is a natural part of life as well…it destroys it gives life…and can sometimes come when we least expect…much like that second stanza…
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well done and a compressed point is felt
Peace
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this seems as if it’s written to a lover who is a firefighter.
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