Last fall's firestorm...the rampaging wildfires that charred thousands of acres and leveled dozens of homes...flirted with the area of town that I live in but never really posed a serious threat. And still, the ominous expanse of black and brown smoke...intertwined with clouds in an languid, awful dance high above our heads for such a long time last autumn...lingers in my memory as if the threat had been aimed at me.
In short, I took it personally.
Yesterday, someone tried to recreate the experience by setting part of eastern San Diego ablaze with fireworks (deliberately set) and, one presumes, sitting back...from a distance, with play by play provided by Marty Levin and Michael Tuck and the other local TV news people...and watching their baby consume a few thousand more acres...watching their creation put to peril the lives of those tasked with fighting such monsters...watching their creature put to panic people caught in its marauding path.
Despite the hot dry July winds, the brave souls who stand between us and infernos have beaten down this blaze...it will not, it seems, go unchecked for days upon days this time...and those who set off their bottle rockets and then zoomed off laughing giddily as the dry brush flared into bright tongues of fire are doubtlessly disappointed that what they've done will be contained and controlled as quickly as it will be.
All praise to the firefighters for their bravery and willingness to put themselves on the line for all of us.
I take that personally as well.
1 comment:
I love your way with words. I have always been impressed with the way you can paint such a full and vibrant picture and take us, your readers, right into your head...or your heart. You draw emotions, strong emotions, out of people just as easily. That is a true gift. Use it wisely, Pops.
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