Shredded by Loss

Hot, fierce, unrelenting
wind blows toward us
blackened Bible page
charred shopping list
tatters of lives flutter
nine miles from the fire
nine miles

 What of my missing friend
rural, within the firestorm
no contact
in the dark I lie awake
ten protracted nights
ten nights

 Family arrives
their prime interest
driving through the ravaged burn
Disbelief hangs—what is that
curiosity commiseration or
thank-god-it’s-not-me?

 We are shredded by loss
innocence wrenched away
dry seasons are not benign
now we know
ashes of animals, people
rain down too
we breathe each other in