Poetry Page

A brief explanation of the first poem:  It was written during and after the June 2002 Rodeo-Chedeski wild fire that burned in the White Mountains of Arizona, where I lived at the time.  It was the largest wild fire in Arizona history, destroying over 500,000 acres of precious forest.  Miraculously, no lives were lost.  However, many homes were burned to the ground.  It was an experience that none of us will ever forget.  We were evacuated from the mountain for one week.  I traveled with my adopted Arizona parents, Carol and Dick, to their fishing cabin located about 90 miles away.  The smoke clouds could be seen for hundreds of miles but our only glimpse into what was really happening at home was by watching the TV reports.  Jim Paxon was the U.S. Forest Service information officer who delivered those reports.  He became our god, our hope, as we impatiently waited to see him approach the microphones and quietly listened to his kind, tired Texan voice every day at 11 a.m. and 10 p.m.  He spoke the brutal truth about the fire and it was never good with relentless 50-mph winds making it impossible to even fight it for days.  But the compassion and hope in Jim’s eyes were still always comforting.  It was a long and scary week but we all helped get one another through it.  Finally, just as the fire was about to jump the road and head into town, the winds suddenly stopped and the firefighters were able to take control.  We could go home!  For me, the most emotional part of the experience was driving back into town the back way (the main route was still closed off to traffic).  The mayor was standing in the back of a pick-up truck on the side of the road and she was waving a big “welcome home” sign.  It wasn’t until that point that the I was able to let loose with the tears.   Thankfully, they were happy tears.  This fire brought out the kindness of not only the townspeople helping one another during and after the fire, but of countless other known and unknown kind souls throughout the country.  The coming together of the community and the generosity offered to help those who suffered losses were huge and widespread.  Again, it was a pivotal experience.  I’m grateful to have been a part of it.  After the fire, Jim and his wife retired to the White Mountains and I have had the pleasure of becoming their friend.  Jim is still and always will be the official White Mountains earth angel!

While Our Forest Burned

by Penelope Woods

© 2002

We watched and we waited as it grew

We watched it in the sky and we watched it on TV

We watched it in denial

We watched with waning optimism and waited for the call

Then it came

The monster fire forced us out – this White Mountain family of ours

How do we choose what pieces of our past to take?

How much can we fit in our cars?

We abruptly gain a new perspective on what really matters in life

One by one, thousands upon thousands, the full moon guided us down the mountain

The midnight caravan!

Like a string of red Christmas lights

Weaving slowly around the canyon

Not a sound to be heard

Not a word to be said

Questions racing in our heads – words we didn’t dare utter out loud

Where will we go?

What will we do?

Have we seen the last of our homes?

Will friends soon become memories?

We haven’t a clue

All of us displaced and scattered, yanked from our routines

Yet all united – this White Mountain family of ours

Our futures cling with promise to the words of the fire boss

As he loyally reports on our fates

We endear ourselves to him – how can we not?

While desperately searching for a glimmer of light in his weary and burning eyes,

We listen hard for an encouraging tone in his voice, a half-smile on his face, anything at all

Feeling our pain, he skillfully weighs his words being ever so cautious not to give us false hope

Always reminding us that the fire is in control, not the thousands who are chasing it

Not for a moment can they let down their guard

Not for a moment can we abandon our faith

So we watch and we wait and we pray for those noble and nameless heroes on the fire lines and in the air fighting to save us from doom

We pray that, unharmed, they can hold back the flames

We pray for our forest and our homes and our families and our friends and our livelihoods

We pray that we can soon go back to it all

Days go by – we watched and we waited

We watched the media, the mayors of our towns, the governor of our state, and the president of our country, all there, while we remain in refuge far removed

We witness the spirit of compassion and generosity of our neighbors, near and far

They share our grief – they truly care

Unknowing, we feel fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, helplessness, and confusion

But most of all, we feel hope that our mountain will be spared

Finally, our beloved fire guru stands at the podium and announces, “this is an auspicious day!”

It is safe for us to go home

They say there was no explanation why the fire didn’t burn the town – it was fully expected

But we all know why – it’s very simple – our prayers held it back

We have been blessed with a miracle

With a renewed appreciation for all that we have and for this magnificent place where we live,

With a deep gratitude in our hearts for our fire fighters that words cannot express,

We curl up in our beds and listen to the familiar sounds of our own surroundings

But our sigh of relief is interrupted by our sorrow for those others of us

Those who no longer have a home or a business to go to

To them we say, have faith – things fall apart so that things can fall together

This is an opportunity, a second chance for us all, let’s begin

You are not alone – we are one – this White Mountain family of ours!

a portion of the forest 5 years after the fire

 

THIS GENTLE NEW YEAR

by Penelope Woods

May this new year fulfill our needs

And bless us with contentment

With gentle winds and gentle waves

And gentle words to guide us

May we be happy and healthy and prosper

And always choose the right fork in the road

May burdens be lifted – a thing of the past

With unforeseen miracles and answers to prayers

This day, with destruction behind us

A year of ideal self-expression ahead

Divine designs shall come to fruition

Even lost endeavors shall be ours to pursue

We’ll soak up God’s showers of great abundance

Allowing our souls to mend what needs mending

Dismissing old ways of acting and reacting

We only need kindness to build and rebuild

The power to create global harmony?

We’ve always had it, so says Oz

Pay attention, though, and hear those subtle whispers

That will awaken the peace our hearts desire…

   in this gentle new year!

 

WHAT I FOUND IN NORTH CAROLINA

by Penelope Woods

for Faith

With winter’s abundant snow a mere memory

We took off on a road trip, my cousin and me

Eleven hours and four states to the Carolina coast

Morehead City, Beaufort, Harkers Island and Atlantic Beach!

I found that this tiny piece of heaven had much to teach

I found sea shells galore ‘best in the east’ so they say, the finest of treasures for grandkids and their friends

I found colorful characters on the street yearning to tell old tales

I found that ‘down east’ locals view life through different eyes

I found that they have an unsurpassed sense of warmth and genuine kindness

I found that the art of chatting and hospitality are still held sacred in the south, as it should be everywhere

I found that many derive a certain joy from inviting strangers into their homes and gardens to muse over times past and present, good and bad

I found that sometimes details are needed but can be let go at other times

I found the true meaning of ‘time’ and that it is to be embraced

I found that it can be a good thing for time to stand still once in a while!

I found that the crowning jewel of any vacation, no matter how good it may have been, is coming home

Amazed by how much the garden grew in a week

Turning the key and opening the door to my sanctuary

Sleeping in my own bed

And snuggling inside a cocoon of purring cats!

But most importantly, I found that my cousin and I are more like sisters than cousins and that we need to spend more time together!

Thank you, Faith, for what I learned in North Carolina!