Write On.life: Thoughts. Written. Shared.

An Ode To The Bighorn Mountains

When I first climbed your slopes in early September
I knew for a fact I’d remember
Your beautiful vistas and countless trees
Swaying in the morning breeze
Porcupine Falls down a rocky trail
and Sibley Lake nestled amongst the trees.
Then came that fateful day
In the hot days of late September,
A cry of “fire!” was heard
The birds and the beasts did flee
As the tongues of flames swept through each valley.
The children wondered, Will Dayton be okay?
We looked for updates on the fire* everyday.
Now, on October 16, everyone has hopes
That tomorrow rain and snow will come to wash your slopes
Though trees that have stood for 100 years or more
Are gone, and burned, we know there will be more
To grow in their place
And those Bighorns will turn a new face
Toward the sky
Once again the birds will fly,
The bear and deer will roam
They’ll find in your canyons a new home.
—
I didn’t think as through the trees I made my way
On that beautiful late summer day,
How fleeting these woods could be
Every flower, blade of grass, and tree
Could be hungrily eaten
By a forest fire, any day.
—
So, also, man’s days are fleeting
Like a flower, blade of grass,
They are here, and gone tomorrow
Extra time, we cannot borrow
May we use each moment wisely
Though time may be free..
It never stops for you and me.

–S. Wenger

* As of this writing, the Elk Fire has burned ~96,179 acres