Last weekend’s rain from hurricane Rachel has turned to dry Santa Ana winds and hotter-than-summer like temperatures. What feels like endless summer to beach goers is fire weather to everyone else in the county.
I watched the dark gray smoke gather and billow as I drove home today and my husband confirmed the wildfire on Camp Pendleton when I called. I changed into shorts and we headed to the beach for today’s walk. As we pulled into the parking lot we both saw it! A huge plume of splash offshore. Could it be, it must be, is it… First thought: gray whale. We rushed from the car to the edge of the cliff and watched. Splashes and more splashes. Whales–but more likely orcas (killer whales) than gray whales. There was clearly a pod. They were leaping and diving, close but not close enough.
The delight from the whales and the dread from the smoke began to braid. We are seeing so many impacts of climate change. Too warm ocean water (even though I am enjoying it), too dry land, weird weather, starving sea birds, beaches washing away, cliffs collapsing, the list goes on and on.
Today in the Write Now Teacher Studio the Write Out Challenge prompt was to make a wish for your place…or #wishwherewe stand. Here’s today’s effort:
Wishing
on orca plumes
splashes seen from shore
on gray-black smoke
snaking along the coast
on fire weather
disguised as endless summer
Wishing
for gentle rain that nourishes
instead of flooding
for winds that don’t
whip fires into frenzy
for waters just right
so that ecosystems thrive
Wishing
my students care for this earth
my grandchildren love this earth
our future thrives on this earth
#writewherewestand #writeout #wishes #smallpoems #wishwhereyoustand
