Wildfire

Unlike the previous 20 months, May in Minnesota did not average above normal temperatures. But that quickly changed with the arrival of June. Most of the State posted highs in the 90s the past few days. Just in time for the controversial withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.

However, the heat we experienced last spring was one for the record books. And it was felt far beyond Minnesota.



Wildfire


A pall drifted in overnight,
tracings of a raging forest fire riding
Canadian air south. This one tangible

as a ninety-degree wrap in May, in Minnesota.
Not easily dismissible as someone's tall tale.

In Alberta parched pines burn on tar sands
owned by oilmen selling hydrocarbons.
A company town, booming as any goldmine
encampment, evacuated when gusty winds set in.

Nearby, levels down on the waterway tapped
to help with fracking.

"Karma," murmurs the Athabasca River,
drained of power, burdened with impurities,
fed up with the heat of man.



Marilyn Aschoff Mellor