Blues for Wildfire Season

Woke up this morning with sun on the curtain
Went to the corner to get me a Coke
My heart is so heavy, my head is uncertain
Down in the valley, the sky’s full of smoke.

I turn to the west for a breath of marine air
I turn to the south with a prayer for rain
I turn to the north in the hope of some clean air
I beg that the east wind will spare us from pain.

Drought is a killer, a strangler, a choker
The leaves on the trees are the color of rust
The atmosphere smells like the breath of a smoker
The roses have withered and crumbled to dust.

Oh, spare us from fire, from smoke and disaster
Spare us the brass-knuckled fist of the sun
Bring back the rain and eternal cloud-cover
Spare us from all of the wrong we have done.

Books Available
The Day of My First Driving Lesson
Country Well-Known as an Old Nightmare's Stable
High-Voltage Lines
Knocking from Inside