Poem #21 from the ‘Surviving the Devil’ Bushfire Collection (unpublished)
she’s crying
GET OUT
down the phone
don’t wait until the smoke
is already in the house
she’s been watching the news
for a fortnight
looking at cars
that piled into each other
and burned
because the drivers couldn’t see
through the dark
while they were running
she’s been taking note
of the way towns went up
all the places people tried
to make last stands
she’s been learning
how a bushfire plan
that used to be as simple as
either go
or stay and fight
has turned into a lie
because the nature of the beast
has changed
don’t you dare
sit on your backside waiting
don’t dare
hope it’ll turn out
for the best
get in your car and drive
NOW
while the road’s still clear
and she’s wondering
what else can you do
an old man can be
such a stubborn fool
when she rings again
in the morning
he better just be alive
so she can give him
every little bit
of a damn good
piece of her mind
© Frank Prem, 2010
I enjoyed this poem, and the twist of humour, thanks for sharing
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome Luke.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Frank
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful work
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice poem. I like the way you get us to feel the urgency and understand something that thankfully, is beyond the experiences of so many of us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Cath. There were a lot of very poignant and very distressing stories that came out of that bushfire experience.
I tried to grab as many as I could – it felt like a thing I had to do.
Cheers,
Frank
LikeLike
I went to “like” the poem. Then realized I already had! ha !
LikeLike
Ah, that counts as a double like, and they don’t come a lot better than that Wolfgang.
Thanks and cheers to you.
Frank
LikeLike
Pingback: Author Interview – Bill Friday – A Death on Skunk Street: A life in poems | toofulltowrite (I've started so I'll finish)