The Fire
This is a poem I wrote for my English class:
The Fire
There was a fire ban that year
But the carless campers left
Leaving smoldering remains behind
The fire that ate the forest
Wind whispered wordlessly in the trees
The fire was given new life
Like a new small heartbeat
The fire that ate the forest
The fire lit the dry grass
It was gathering in strength
Like a lion preparing to strike
The fire that ate the forest
The fire now reached the trees
It was a wild beast let free
Grey smoke billowed up to the sky
The fire that ate the forest
Campers couldn’t escape the wild flames
Sirens soon sounded on dirt roads
People evacuated their homes
The fire that ate the forest
Old oaks fell to their knees
Trees were consumed by flames
The heat was a blacksmith’s forge
The fire that ate the forest
Rescue men were left helpless
The fire covered the forest
Everyone did not escape
The fire that ate the forest
The fire burned bright in the sky
Smoke blocked the stars at night
Flames seemed to laugh evilly
The fire that ate the forest
The fire burned on still
Feasting on what ever it touched
Held back only from a river
The fire that ate the forest
The fire slowly reseeded
Rescue workers were gaining ground
Blessed rain started to fall
The fire that ate the forest
The roars finally abated
Land was left scorched
Flames had licked every tree clean
The fire that ate the forest
New grass began to grow
Trees again grew tall
Animals began to return
The fire that gave life
What a powerful narrative poem, Alexander! Marvelous use of figurative language and suspense-building repetition. Thank you for sharing it with us. Keep writing; you have a gift! Best wishes, Joyce McGreevy, author (Sierra Club Books) and editor (National Geographic School Publishing)
Wow — I can just see the flames & feel the heat! It really reminds me of the Yellowstone fires that destroyed Wilders’ cabin in Wyoming.
Thanks for sharing, Alex.
What a beautifully descriptive poem.
Your use of simile and metaphor is not at all clumsy, it is very appropriate and creates great atmosphere to your poem.
I love that you create a beastly character of the fire, and yet at the end recognise that it has a role in creating life. Well done and thanks for sharing it!