Wild fire

Soft white flakes drift

On the hot current of air

And settle amongst

The dry grass stalks

Baked brown and crisp

By the unrelenting sun

On the ridge, blue smoke

Curls and coils like serpents

And, with the aid of binoculars

It's possible to see the orange glow

Of the fire, licking, devouring

Everything in it's path

Leaving only charred remains

It crackles and pops

As it tastes this trunk

And spits out that rock

As it journeys up the slope

Accelerating like a race car

With a hungry V8 engine

The wind picks up

Whipping itself into a frenzy

Carrying the flames higher

And higher again

Lifting the smoke

And tossing it though the hot air

Soon the valley is shrouded

With grey, greasy haze

The heat shimmers on the ground

The soft flakes dance on the breeze

Then settle on the dusty ground

Feather light, til everything is white

The fire makes it's slow descent

From the flatness of the ridge

Into the once verdant valley

Leaving a trail of wanton destruction

In it's smouldering wake

Corpses, stumps, ash

The air is thick now

With heat and smoke.

It's getting hard to breathe now

The acrid air sears eyes and throat

It's mistress, the fire lurks

Perhaps near, perhaps far away

A sudden gust of wind

Carries bad omens

Singed gum leaves,

Edges still aglow

With the greedy embers

Of the ravenous fire

The hose feels small

The water tepid, weak

In the face of this monster

The only blessing is the drought

It's turned the country to dust

And dust is no food for fire

Still, the burning leaves alight

And soon a grass stalk flickers

With the dancing orange flame

A moment of joyous life

Before the harsh wind

Blows it roughly out