Remembering the Fire-Charred Plants
An elegy inspired from the love of the land
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.
About the Creator
Seema Patel
Hi, I am Seema. I have been writing on the internet for 15 years. I have contributed to PubMed, Blogger, Medium, LinkedIn, Substack, and Amazon KDP.
I write about nature, health, parenting, creativity, gardening, and psychology.
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Comments (2)
This is great. Your cover photo sets the mood, too! I have seen you around and I was surprised to learn just now that I hadn't subscribed to you! My oversight. I've subscribed now. I'm Bill. It's a pleasure to meet you. ⚡💙⚡
Exactly, Seema. Wildfires are horrible and nature at times needs our help to keep it going even if it's just picking up trash someone threw out a window. Good job.