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Terzanelle Nr.03 — Portugal FireStorm [15th October 2017]
The drama circles round our heads
the wall of fire approaches homes
as fate reveals the cards it spreads
we make our choices - gut-felt sums -
to leave, or stay and fight it out?
The wall of fire approaches homes
and grasping straws to claim some clout
midst flying embers, fire and smoke
some choose to stay and fight it out.
The detail in our minds is stoked
by what is noticed in the heat
midst flying embers, fire and smoke
a tragic game of ‘trick or treat’
a shepherd neighbour loses all
it goes unnoticed in the heat.
A quinta burns, a house stands tall
a drama circles round our heads
a shepherd neighbour loses all
as fate reveals the cards it spreads.
the wall of fire approaches homes
as fate reveals the cards it spreads
we make our choices - gut-felt sums -
to leave, or stay and fight it out?
The wall of fire approaches homes
and grasping straws to claim some clout
midst flying embers, fire and smoke
some choose to stay and fight it out.
The detail in our minds is stoked
by what is noticed in the heat
midst flying embers, fire and smoke
a tragic game of ‘trick or treat’
a shepherd neighbour loses all
it goes unnoticed in the heat.
A quinta burns, a house stands tall
a drama circles round our heads
a shepherd neighbour loses all
as fate reveals the cards it spreads.
Published 15th Oct 2018
| Edited 8th Mar 2024
Author's Note
(1).On the anniversary of last year's Fire-Storm which burnt up 5000 sq Km of Central Portugal, I am reposting my Terzanelle poem about it (now + audio-vid), written to honour the huge trauma and loss. One year later many friends are still struggling to rebuild their houses, and lives.
(2).A “Terzanelle” poem combines a Villanelle with a Terza Rima. First established by Lewis Turco in 1965 with his poem “Terzanelle in Thunderweather”.
Terzanelle Nr.04 can be found here:
https://deepundergroundpoetry.com/poems/397396-beautiful-planet/
Terzanelle Nr.02 can be found here:
https://deepundergroundpoetry.com/poems/323324-uma-salva-de-palmas-para-d-u-p-admin/
(photo credit: michael-held-133902-unsplash)
Was too busy saving the house to take my own pic - but it looked similar to the photo.
(2).A “Terzanelle” poem combines a Villanelle with a Terza Rima. First established by Lewis Turco in 1965 with his poem “Terzanelle in Thunderweather”.
Terzanelle Nr.04 can be found here:
https://deepundergroundpoetry.com/poems/397396-beautiful-planet/
Terzanelle Nr.02 can be found here:
https://deepundergroundpoetry.com/poems/323324-uma-salva-de-palmas-para-d-u-p-admin/
(photo credit: michael-held-133902-unsplash)
Was too busy saving the house to take my own pic - but it looked similar to the photo.
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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15th Oct 2018 11:25am
15th Oct 2018 11:36am
Thank you. Yesterday we had a day of music & dance to 'celebrate' new beginnings, and a new level of solidarity-community.
15th Oct 2018 11:38am
Love it when such horrible things can bring us all together ... we had a tornado several years back ... people had a memorial and remembrance that included an air of celebration and recovery ...
15th Oct 2018 12:33pm
dearest Josh metaphorically and literally this is a powerful poem...
in remembrance of such tragic events a moment of silence...
it could be any of us...
love Brenda ❤
in remembrance of such tragic events a moment of silence...
it could be any of us...
love Brenda ❤
15th Oct 2018 2:04pm
Thank you Brenda, we had a minute's silence yesterday at our community-solidarity 'celebration' of new beginnings. We were lucky and saved our house and outbuildings but I'm still affected by those who didn't.
Anonymous
- Edited 27th Dec 2019 12:45pm
15th Oct 2018 1:39pm
<< post removed >>
Thank you Melia, I've seen about the fires in Norway earlier this year, and now the flooding. Uncertainty draws community out from our staunch go-it-alone rugged-individualism Northern-European mentality. Here in Portugal for the locals, it's community helping is normal - a matter of survival for many decades. Thanks for dropping by again.
15th Oct 2018 5:03pm
I can certainly comiserate having spent over thirty years in Forest-fire.hell...
I'll take a Hurricane any day... sounds like a celebration waa grand idea...
And you made a poem to top off the cake. Awesome... Ely
15th Oct 2018 8:21pm
Thank you, Ely; seems you've had more than your fair share forest-fire threats. Lots of rain today (1st rain in 4 months) has eased off that background anxiety about making it through another 'fire-season'.
I feel this deeply, Josh. Thousands of acres were lost in the Carolina Mountains a year before this. It's horrifying to witness the utter loss.
Thank you; fires are becoming a new 'norm' - unfortunately. And it's obviously not helped by heavy chem-trailing which are witnessed as a regular pattern of activity connected with fires.
The weird silence preceding the fire, and then the roar of the fire itself with all the smoke are etched in the minds of many of us here. Hope your zone is safe now, until next summer at least.
The weird silence preceding the fire, and then the roar of the fire itself with all the smoke are etched in the minds of many of us here. Hope your zone is safe now, until next summer at least.
16th Oct 2018 3:01am
A Beautiful and solemn tribute .. fires are truly terrifying and devastating .. we have had our share of them here in the US .. witnessing the devastation is very heart wrenching .. a wonderful way to pay tribute to those who lost much ..
16th Oct 2018 3:09pm
Thank you Jemac - it's not something I want to experience again. A storm a couple of days' ago blew down thousands of weakened trees too. Hope the 'fire-season' for this year is over in your zone; take care, Josh.
16th Oct 2018 7:16pm
18th Oct 2018 10:46pm
Powerful work, Josh. You take a tragedy, make it easy to visualize and bring out the heartbreak. And that's a nice touch of irony in "a tragic game of 'trick or treat.' Well written and genuinely moving.
19th Oct 2018 11:53am
Thank you Crowfly for your comments. Nice to see you back.
The 'trick or treat' thought sprang to mind from seeing so many inexplainable 'anomalies' after the fire. A house burnt but a yurt and wood-store next to it, not burnt. Two houses right next to each other, one burnt, the other not. One couldn't but help feel there had been some hidden hand of 'fate' at work.
We were trapped in our house but being forced to stay meant we managed to save the house which I'm pretty sure otherwise would have burnt. There are surely greater forces at work in our lives. Thank you for the not via Jade; take care, Josh.
The 'trick or treat' thought sprang to mind from seeing so many inexplainable 'anomalies' after the fire. A house burnt but a yurt and wood-store next to it, not burnt. Two houses right next to each other, one burnt, the other not. One couldn't but help feel there had been some hidden hand of 'fate' at work.
We were trapped in our house but being forced to stay meant we managed to save the house which I'm pretty sure otherwise would have burnt. There are surely greater forces at work in our lives. Thank you for the not via Jade; take care, Josh.
6th May 2019 9:09pm
6th May 2019 9:17pm
Thank you Summer again. I need to get back into doing audios {if I can remember how to upload them into youtube :)) }
6th May 2019 9:31pm
I was also thinking of making audios for my poem. But I don't know how :-)
6th May 2019 9:36pm
probably best to ask in the loud-speaker poetry group
https://deepundergroundpoetry.com/groups/loud-speaker-poetry/discussion/
https://deepundergroundpoetry.com/groups/loud-speaker-poetry/discussion/
