(Cover photo courtesy of Duncan Robson)

You’ve left us barren
Exposed, she now stands
No shelter for the wild
A tortoise frozen in your wake

Brazen beauty
Poignant images of your destruction
Haunting minds through saddened eyes
Our tears will heal this land

Your red hot flame
Took away most life within a few days
Together we stand
Our hands will find a way to nurture this land

You’ve left us barren
Brazen beauty
BUT in your wake
Like your flame to our land
You ignite the embers of our humanity

Humbled by your supremacy
We now stand, hand-in-hand
Drawing strength from our diversity
A community of courage, hope and compassion

I thought Jonathan Simons’ tribute to everyone involved in quealling the embers of the fires, fitting to my poem. He is a Deep South local!