As you probably know, fires started through the southeast of France this past Monday, July 24th.
June and early July, punishing heat baked Medville and her surroundings; dust and haze hung for days on end. The natives started to worry and pray for rain.
Perhaps Gaia waited for winds.
I drafted this post July 8th.
Monday evening the hills went up in flames.
The fires were predictable.
Photo credit Varmatin.com La Croix Valmer- Cap Lardier
Reckonings
The Med’s worries float in leaded sheets going nowhere.
“I will kiss them away” says the sun as he marches into the day from Cap Lardier.
“He will, he will” opines the wind chime in soft bamboo tones.
Silent swallows loop on hurried wings.
A lark tweets nonsense from a waiting pepper tree.
A sunbeam briefly kisses the oleanders and the inscrutable Sago asking forgiveness for a scorching that is to come.
Grass is like tinder.
Fire waits for wind and a spark.
“From north and south trouble is coming”, whispers a fragile Med. “You are killing me” she tells the sun.
“We will burn” shimmer the mountains.
Beyond white skies the sullen sun mutters an answer:
“I do what I have always done. I do not change. Take your complaint to Gaia… but she already knows.”
The Med counts her fishes, pulls dead sea grass, pushes ashore humanity’s offal and garbage, bodies and tar, and sighs.
Yes. She also does what she was born to do: move water, dream clouds, clean, birth, feed, and kill.
For now, Gaia only threatens. She swats at the children of mad semi-gods. She lets them plunder and devour her riches, despoiling and killing. But her patience wears thin.
The folly of that life-form is insufferable.
The reckoning is already sown.
The harvest will be plentiful.
Photo credit: Jean Charles Orioli Instagram
unbuttoned or undone 
Natural devastations of this sort are a fearsome thing to behold and put things in perspective. Your writing is excellent.
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Sadly this natural devastation is invariably triggered by the stupidity of man.
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Very often, not always. Wildfires have existed long before man learned to use fire. But yes, carelessness or downright malice have been known to play a part.
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It is fearsome and sad. People gathered by the water and watched in silence or made quiet comments. It seems to me that we (witnesses) all tapped into something very primal, a kind of reverence for the power unleashed. Sobering indeed.
Thank you for the compliment Oglach 🙂
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Powerful words, Em, spelling out man’s folly. Nature needs only a prompt from the moronic who build barbecues in high winds, the criminally cretinous who throw cigarettes from cars, or just let them fall at their feet, and then look aghast at the television news, complaining that their vacations are ruined. Superbly painted picture of the pain our little paradise is suffering.
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‘criminally cretinous’! I like that. It is apt enough in this case. And yes, our little paradise is struggling to survive multiple stressors. Thank you Cea.
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Are you safe??
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Yes, I am safe. The fire was across the bay. Other wild fires sprung west of Medville and are not totally controlled. The terrain is tough and the wind fickled.
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Good to hear, despite the tragedy unfolding. My thoughts are always with the animals, confused and frightened and unsure which way to run.
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I totally understand. Interestingly, there have been no reports of wild life loss around here. Perhaps it is too soon to know, Protecting people and their property is the priority in news reporting. I know that our turttles burrow deep when a fire starts and wait it out. We don’t have an abundance of wild life anymore. I haven’t seen a squirrel anywhere around here for instance. But we do have wild pigs!
I hear there are deer somewhere in the mountains; if there are, they know better than come anywhere close to people!!!
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Dear Em,
Excruciatingly well written. Thinking of you over there and praying for your safety. Sad that people can be so careless with the environment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hi Rochelle,
Thank you for thinking of us. We are safe where we are. So far so good anyway.
Yes, it is tragic that in a moment of abysmal thoughtlessness a fire can start and spread so fast and reach so far that it displaces 10,000 people. It is remarkable that none of them were severely injured. The casualties are among the firefighters.
Hugs.
Em.
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Hello Em
You write beautifully
Maybe goddess Gaia needs appeasement
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Thank you my dear friend. You always show up when I do, for which I am grateful.
I see you wave, smile, and wink at ‘hello’ 😉
Gaia needs respect for sure; I fear it is too late for appeasement.
Hugs..
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She swats at the children of mad semi-gods…
Wonderful piece, Em.
I was on the verge of emailing you, worrying at the news reports, and here you are…observing, reflecting, prophesizing….
Thank goodness.
K
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Hi Kat,
So good of you to think about me!
And you are so kind with your comments ❤
How are you doing? I surmise very busy.
I'll email you soon. Before time escapes again!
Big hugs.
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I wish everyone here could read your words. Wildfire season is fully underway and the hundreds of fires mean our whole province is under a state of emergency. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated — whole towns empty. The smoke can be seen in satellite photographs stretching thousands of kilometers eastward. The altruism of the people fighting the fires and others taking in the evacuees is encouraging, but then we learn that almost all of the fires have been caused by humans.
Here’s something that might give you a wry smile. I saw a man who was soliciting empathy for his friend, an evacuee who could only save what he could carry in his RV.
I love your personification of the forces at play.
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Jack asses everywhere! Oudoors BBQs are forbidden in times of high wind and heat, but that didn’t stop the guy who started it here. It only took a spark. Is that really an “accident”?I should go to your rant page…and go on a rampage! ; -)
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Yes, please do visit my rant page. Bring your friends. I could use a little mayhem.-)
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With all that’s going on Emm, I should feel so fortunate here. You have wildfires. The south here has flooding, tornados, and severe storms, California, too, has wildfires. Wish I could have emailed you but I wouldn’t have known what to say. Natures devastation is so appalling and ugly in both a physical and spiritual manner. Be hopeful and be safe, dear heart. …..xo
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Please forgive my late reply Paul. Thank you for your encouragements dear, it is always welcome and appreciated..
Well, I keep hoping….
And I stay safe, not to worry.
Hugs
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This is dreadful.
A lot of homes were devastated in Knysna, down south a short while back, and lives were lost.
I can imagine it must be very hellishly scary.
Both my brother and BIL live right next to woodland or forest, in Australia and Portugal respectively
My brother in law lives literally across the road – and both have experienced fires at close range. Thankfully, they were not caught up in them and the blazes by were contained.
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Fires are frightening They are monsters of efficient destruction.
We see it on the news. For three minutes of spectacular footage, we watch in awe from a safe place, then we go about our business. It’s a totally different experience up close. The reality of the power unleashed imposes itself and lingers for days.
I was across the bay, safe. But I am keenly aware that the wooded mountain that looks (nearly) the same everyday and shades the house before the sun goes down, could burn too.
It is just the way it is.
A little bit like death, you know it’s coming but you’d just as soon skip it. 🙂
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