Lewis Raynes Poet Quatrain

Notes About The Poem

Ive a farm in NSW during these insane fires, am nervous every day.

Nature: Volunteer Firefighters

"The fire has crossed containment lines,
Dunns Road has just been breached,
Emergency vehicles have withdrawn,
You cannot be reached",
Local radio announces every minute,
Evacuation roads are shut,
Power and phones are all now down,
You're alone with the smoke and dust.

Then through the haze of black and red,
Fire cowlicks up your house,
Adrenaline shakes your trembling hand,
Your legs, your chest, your mouth,
It's just you and your hose in the fight,
No mercy- do or die,
Fire licks at everything you have,
Everything left dry.

Then, in a moment, it's gone again,
Wild wind waltzed it up the hill,
And you stand alone in complete silence,
To witness what's been killed,
When, from nowhere, the acrid stench,
From animals now burnt black,
Battle with the pungency,
Life under attack.

Tears now drop, you try to feel,
Deep down you know you're broke,
As you see the stoic volunteer brigade,
Floating through the smoke,
You fall, they catch in arms of love,
Take you away from here,
To a place of peace and mates and hope, 
With a smile, a joke and beer.

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David Smith January 5, 2020 at 6:55 PM More Kiwis on their way my friend. Bloody good poem written the way only an Ausie can. Hope you are good at untying knots to let your Kangaroo free. When I was in Lions they billeted a few here to give respite. Think something similar happening now. Just don't drain all the water out of the ditch as offer not permanent except for the cricket team. Prayers with you David in NZ Lewis Raynes January 5, 2020 at 10:01 PM Thankyou guys so much, we need as much help as possible, it seems we are woefully under prepared from individual to local to national here... its never been this huge. Cricket was a nice break but you guys without ferguson and then williamson where behind the eight ball straight away. Hand shakes from over the ditch... and the tanks are still full

Maureen McGreavy Pigeon Tart January 4, 2020 at 10:17 PM I find you in my thoughts a lot these days. It's paralyzing, the enormity for this little brain. Hugs my friend. xomo Maureen McGreavy Pigeon Tart January 5, 2020 at 8:55 PM Stay safe my friend. Lewis Raynes January 5, 2020 at 3:32 PM 3 towns about 60km from here just went up last night, Batlow got the worst of it. So many dead kangaroos, koalas sheep horses and cattle.. but the gum trees will grow back, fire doesnt kill them at all Maureen McGreavy Pigeon Tart January 5, 2020 at 8:15 AM That's scary close enough. Holy crap. <3 Lewis Raynes January 4, 2020 at 11:02 PM Hi mo, thankyou, we need as many good vibes in our universe here at the moment. Relatively safe, two major fires are about 80 to 85km from the farm, but the air is like a dark fog. No birds are chirping anymore.

David Wakeling January 4, 2020 at 8:32 PM Don't worry Sco Mo has called the Army in to help because he's sick of waiting for the states to tell him it's a crisis,Instead he's going to work out that its a crisis by himself Lewis Raynes January 4, 2020 at 8:56 PM Sco mo is useless, hes playing politics instead of being a coherent thinker utilizing his authority since fires began in november. Hes reactive (in the wrong way) rather than proactive with pre thought plans