Tyler Cain Lacy


THE LOOP FIRE


                1

As we r nearing carlsbad
we can see dark
smoke and lots of
it

       out there

The fury
of fire
has ravaged
the land

a mass

text

                2

Yeah,
I fear for town

I fear for whites city

why       I don’t know

it’s all owned
by Mormons

my skin sticks
to the seat

                3

last night
I went to sleep
and it was 90°

this morning
I woke up

and it was 90°

I was like
come on         hell

sweltering

                4

They are calling
it the Loop Fire

This is how
they figure things
out
                in circles

                5

This road comes out of nowhere
and goes

                nowhere

basically

we r okay they
blocked the road
past the airport so
dad went to get
horses and take
them to chances

passed Derrick Road
Haston Road
Dal Paso
to Molinar

to Peanut
      Lady
      Sancho

                      hay

                6

the policy is
to shoot and kill
any wildlife
you come across
in a wildfire

if they were to ignite
and take off

everything
could be turned
to fire

                7

it’s like how
Poppop swears he shot 127 rattlesnakes
in one afternoon

but not for this reason

                                              now

he’s just as scared
as everything

about the fire

                8

Please keep my family & ranch in your prayers & thoughts because the fire is close &
                the smoke is engulfing our house.

They say it’s good
for the land
to burn

but the alfalfa farmers
the cotton farmers
the ranchers

are burning are mad

would beg

to differ                I’m sure

                9

the sun
                the smoke
the red

when it’s this
hot who wouldn’t speak
of the end of it all
                               and hell

I am not
the only one

We had an awful lot of smoke Sunday. It got really worse when the
wind shifted and was blowing from the southwest, Kincaid said.

                10

I am the town
crier

you all are
fighting back

the tears

flow
                through me
                                             Spirit

church marquees speak

PLEASE JESUS MOVE
THIS FIRE INTO OUR HEARTS
Beauty will arise from the ashes of devastation and new life from the charred remains
of what once was

Pastor Dave Rogers
says in the newspaper

                11

With gravel
in my voice

I go
           on

passed all the dirt
roads straight
into town

to the cemetery
to Babyland
where all the babies are
buried

and stop

at your grave

                               John Michael

run over
in the middle
of Church St.
fetching the ball

roll
over

                hello

                12

Meanwhile
the cows
burning
on the outskirts
of town

                running

Our Father, who art
in heaven                      we art in hell
                    forgive us

it appears
to have been
human-caused



Tyler Cain Lacy and his poetry are from Carlsbad, New Mexico. More of his work can be found at elimae.
 
 
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