the sky has reached down
grey laden
to surround me
and the leelu dog
the taste
is rancid ash
today the fires are burning
somewhere else
not close
but the effect
is a sensation of nearness
a visceral impact
the water
in my personal lagoon
looks thin
and it is still
no fish splashing
no water-boatmen making ripples
no heron
or duck
even the breeze
has abandoned it
we are all oppressed
by the knowledge
of fire
© Frank Prem, 2006
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