An Unexpected Encounter

6/4/2024

Hello blog friends!

It's Tanka Tuesday, and I've a poem to share. I wrote it after my husband and I drove to nearby Sedona for lunch. On the way, we encountered an area of 'controlled burn.' There are multiple ongoing fires in Arizona due to the severe drought. I've included a map of the fires and as well, a photo I took through the front windshield.

Poet Colleen Chesebro invites us to create poetry related to our seasonal experiences. I've chosen to write a three-stanza Senryu (3-2-3 syllables). It's a form very similar to haiku.

a controlled burn on I-17

In the photo below, Jerome and Sedona are barely visible. The sky is hazy because of the controlled burning and the wildfires to the north. My poem:

Have a wonderful week, dear friends. I hope you experience cool breezes.

36 Comments

Eugi link

6/4/2024 12:41:55

Beautiful poetry, Gwen. I hope you have fresh air soon.

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2024 18:01:59

Thank you, Eugi. Your kind words warm my heart. 😊

Annette Aben

6/5/2024 04:18:15

Oh YES!

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2024 06:25:43

🌞

Liz Gauffreau link

6/5/2024 05:02:56

I love this perfect little gem of a poem! I think it also speaks more broadly to the effects of climate change. Nicely done!!

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2024 06:32:41

Thank you, Liz. It's sobering to experience the effects up close and personal. 💚

John Howell link

6/5/2024 06:15:35

I feel for you and the effects of burning. It is so hard to imagine the positive side of controlled burns. During the winter we have smoke from Mexico as they burn off their crop residue. You have to wonder if there is a better way. Here's hoping you get some relief. A beautiful poem, Gwen.

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2024 06:39:46

Thank you very much, John. In our area, controlled burns are common, and I don't know of an alternative. Fires start quickly and spread just as fast.

Marcia Meara link

6/5/2024 08:04:31

Sorry so many controlled burns are necessary right now. Hope you get some rain SOON!!! Love the second picture, and your poetry, too!
😊❤️😊

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2024 08:19:50

You're a sweetheart, Marcia. Thank you for the kind words. All will be well -- fingers crossed for rain. 🤗

Tim Dittmer link

6/5/2024 09:12:02

Great poem, Gwen. I hope the drought ends soon and you can breathe clear air.

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2024 10:44:58

Thanks, Tim. I like to walk in the early mornings, when the skies are clear. Otherwise, I'm pretty much inside. 😊

D.L. Finn

6/5/2024 10:27:17

Beautiful poem, Gwen. Those smoke filled days are tough, I have many air purifiers now to deal with them. We were lucky last year to get out of our drought and have a mild summer and fire season. This year it is starting early with fires here too. I still hoping for a mild break from it for all of us. Sending hugs and some rain. Xo

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2024 10:42:55

Thank you, Denise. I suspect the drought extends over much of the country, but you live in a forested area which makes you even more vulnerable. I hope your summer is a wet one. 🌧️🌈🌧️

Daniel Antion link

6/5/2024 11:53:29

I hope you have fresh air to breath soon, Gwen. I also hope the controlled burns work.

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2024 13:01:44

Thank you, Dan. Because of the winds, the air is pretty good. It's only around the burn areas that breathing is affected. 🌞

Priscilla Bettis link

6/5/2024 12:04:05

Your poem reminds me that we sometimes take fresh air for granted until it's not so fresh, as during controlled bans.

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2024 13:07:50

So true, Priscilla. The entire Yavapai County goes into Stage 1 fire restrictions tomorrow. 💚

Jan Sikes

6/5/2024 13:18:15

Oh, how I wish we could share our overabundance of rain with you. We are saturated. I love the photo AND the poem! Here's hoping for some rain for you soon.

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2024 14:40:42

Thank you, Jan, for the wishes and the kind words. I can feel the rain headed our way. 😊

Thomas Wikman link

6/5/2024 14:53:52

That's a great weather poem. I am sorry it is so dry where you are. Here we have the opposite problem, flash floods, thunderstorms and heavy rains every day, including a record breaking 18 inch hail stone (biggest in Texas history). Some people are still without power from the severe thunderstorm 8 days ago.

Gwen M. Plano

6/6/2024 08:27:06

Oh my goodness, Thomas. Before we moved to Arizona, we lived in Branson, Missouri. There we had heavy rains and an occasional tornado. Because we lived on a hill, our home didn't flood, but others were not so fortunate. Take good care of yourself.

Yvette M Calleiro link

6/5/2024 18:33:40

Great poems, Gwen! It's a shame the haze takes away from such beauty.

Yvette M Calleiro :-)
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com

Gwen M. Plano

6/6/2024 08:27:56

Thank you, Yvette. I hope your busy days have calmed down now that school is out. 🤗

Balroop Singh link

6/7/2024 09:30:20

Beautifully articulated, Gwen. May our wishes of clean environment come true! Wildfires seem to have become a part of summer, this year they've started so early.

Gwen M. Plano

6/7/2024 14:59:25

Thank you, Balroop. Yesterday restrictions for smokers and outside fires went into effect. Our temps have shot up over 100 degrees. I'm hoping for an early monsoon. 😊

Kerfe

6/8/2024 15:33:29

It seems we are all getting too much rain or too much sun. Sending some wishes for an end to the drought!

Gwen M. Plano

6/8/2024 19:16:04

Thank you, Kerfe. I'm ever so grateful for air conditioning. With temps in the low 100s, I stay indoors for most of the day. 🌞

JadeLi link

6/8/2024 16:17:52

Gwen, please stay safe. I feel the earnestness of your prayers.

Gwen M. Plano

6/8/2024 19:16:58

Thank you, Jade. I stay indoors, except for the very early mornings. 🤗

Rall link

6/10/2024 07:29:24

Bush fires are horrendous. We have them every Summer now. Thank you for your comment. Stay cool !

Gwen M. Plano

6/10/2024 21:18:49

So sorry you experience them, Rall. They are very scary indeed!

Colleen link

6/10/2024 09:35:38

Gwen, I remember those controlled burns. This is one reason why we moved from the west. Too many fires. I couldn't breathe most of the time. I don't know if the drought will improve, either. Stay safe, my friend.

Gwen M. Plano

6/10/2024 21:17:53

Thank you, Colleen. We've had 100+ temps for days now, so I suspect the drought will be with us until the monsoon in August/September. We saw Pronghorn in a line in a field. At first we didn't understand, but then we realized they were standing in the shadow of a powerline.😔

Jules link

6/11/2024 12:22:38

I remember living in Indiana during a drought. I think we even had one here... years ago. Hoping for all those prayers in your lovely stanzas to be honored.

willowdot21 link

6/12/2024 00:38:13

Your temperature is way beyond my experience for any real length of time take care.💜

An Unexpected Encounter

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