113,307 acres, 38% (excerpt From Atlas) - Glenn Bach

from Atlas

113,307 acres, 38%

bigger than Atlanta is how badass
our ancient trees are everything up
to the road is burnt as the fire grows
these trees are so decadent & firs
are notorious for throwing spot
fires watched the ridge burn all
night field damage may be ongoing
& subject to change wrangling
the best just an impressive effort

hidden beneath the scorched earth
millions of seeds dormant for 65
years for winter rain so we’ll have
to see what the investigation finds
this reminds me of the Saddle Ridge
Fire some patches still remain smoke
showing from beyond Pinyon
Ridge everything is painted pink
that tree on the left still standing
on its last leg more dangerous
than a widow maker! containment
continues! Helo dipping in Jackson
Lake who smells another lawsuit
leaves moonscape of crumbled rock
ash & dust crews turn a corner

OMG OMG OMG was Oct 30 is now
Sept 30 OMG Rejoicing! waiting
waiting waiting we’ve passed
a tipping point what’s happening
right now is triage the west has long
been shaped by fire the utility
companies take turns around here
when we broke that relationship
& took fire away from us

Originally published by The Babel Tower Notice Board 2021

Originally from Southern California, Glenn Bach now lives in the Doan Brook watershed of Cleveland, Ohio. His major project, Atlas, is a long poem about place and our (mis)understanding of the world. Excerpts have appeared in jubilat, Otoliths, Plumwood Mountain and others. He documents his work at glennbach.com and @AtlasCorpus.