“It needn’t be tinder, this juncture of the year” Conor O’Callaghan – January Drought
I – Hand-wringing…
Tinseltown they called it
The Hollywood sign above it
On mountain and canyons covered
With scrub like gasoline tinder
Rich palaces of dreams rendered
To which many young locusts aspired
But Santa Ana winds have burned
Those houses to naught but ash
Chimneys only gravestones to the cash
Will Angelinos now have learned
Money, for Nature is no match
Challenge it and there’s a catch
Will L.A. be a lesson to us all
That Damocles’ sword’s about to fall…
II – Thunderbolt slinging…
“Come friendly bombs and rain on Slough”
Quipped English Poet Laureate
Enough with all this rational debate
No one heeds “We the People” now
Let Mar-a-Lago flooded be
With Trump inside preferably
Let insurance baulk at rebuilding
The Palace-ades of rich and famous
And let’s see what Trump really does
When Global Warming’s truly a thing
So unlike wise old King Canute
The science is no longer moot
And yes, for sure we all will suffer
Till Nature trumps the monstrous duffer…
Andrew Wilson, 2025
Over at dVerse Poets Pub, Laura Bloomsbury in Meeting the Bar: Critique and Craft invites us to write a Palinode in which two verses take contrary views and around a quotation relating to the New Year. I chose the Conor O’Callaghan one which seems almost prescient to the L.A. fires that are occurring so early in the New Year…
This is such a poignant and timely poem, Andrew. Yes, it’s heartbreaking all that is happening in L.A. 🙁
Thanks Sanaa. Even if someone is obscenely rich, we must still have sympathy for their loss of everything they have lost gathered over a lifetime. On the other hand, those that persist in climate denying so they and their friends can make a few more meaningless bucks – bring on the thunderbolts…
I keep hoping a hurricane will hit baby Trump’s palace. Head on.
😂
An absolutely excellent poem Andrew. Well done!
Thanks Kim, I have been writing a lot of sonnets with Melissa and I have decided I like the form for saying all sorts of things…
A powerful palinode, Andrew, which took a perfect leap from the Conor O’Callaghan quote. The way you describe the ‘mountain and canyons covered / With scrub like gasoline tinder’ makes it seem like an accident waiting to happen. I chuckled at you palinode; yes, ‘let’s see what Trump really does / When Global Warming’s truly a thing’! He’s no match with Nature.
Thanks Kim. The irony is that by trying to prevent fires on those hills, they just built up the fuel load until it was indeed inevitable and devastating. Americans are starting to understand the native American approach to forest management…
Amazing work, Andrew ~ “those houses to naught but ash, chimneys only gravestones to the cash” feels seared into my psyche, so horribly true. I hope you read this tomorrow.
I am hoping to be there Helen but there is some possibility I won’t but glad you liked it…
It was great to hear you read this poem yesterday, Andrew. I can’t even imagine the inferno in the LA area. I don’t watch TV news, mostly I’ve just read and heard accounts, which are graphic and tragic enough.
Climate change is going to make such things more common and worse. We’ve had wildfires around here. It’s usually humid and rainy in the summer here is south Jersey, but we had drought conditions and red flag days when it was very dry and ripe conditions for wild fires. There have been big fires in the Pine Barrens. . .
Well, you know my feelings about the in-coming horror of president; unfortunately, I think he’s a figure head now for the powerful people behind him.
Thanks Merril – the second stanza was a little tongue in cheek – I wouldn’t wish Trump actual harm – better he be forced – though the destruction of Mar-a-Lago to- to confront reality. As far as I can see, the only hope for the Democrats is to engage in grass-roots activities that can show who they really are without the filters of social or any other media…
Wonderful Andrew — love you friend… 🙂
Thanks Rob…
So enjoyed hearing you read this, and especially the second stanza feels like a vaccine for sure.
It was fun reding it Björn, there were some tricky switches of direction which came out better when read aloud…
As always, I enjoyed hearing you read too!
As I said on the night – I love the use of humour to make a point – you have done a briliant job with this, also touch points of sadness among it all. Loved hearing you bring it alive in the reading.
Thanks Paul – it was good to see you too…
Andrew, I really enjoyed your palinode. Horrifying fires and horror-comic leader! I must try to attend OLNs to hear you all read.
Yes Punam – you should definitely come and let us hear you read too…
Quite a tragedy unfolding in L.A. and whatever lessons are learned from it, Andrew, I feel sure they’ll be unlearned by those responsible for it. “Damocles’ sword” indeed.
I’m surprised the Tech-bros haven’t got something to say about Trump refusing to help California Dora…