Island Town
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| Woronofski Island in front of Wrangell, Alaska |
Here is a poem from my poetry chapbook that depicts an aspect of island life in rural Alaska.
Smolder
For Charlene, my niece
Winter in this island town where dreams are spent like
snapping kindling, the cold shakes us into the roar of hoses spraying, water
falling in sheets, red emergency lights rotating across snow. We wait until the
firemen find her body—our niece. Not another one—another one. The expectancy of
fire ignites within us, around us—our old houses, faulty wiring, wood heat, and
empty pockets, rage through us with a flash of heat and choking ash, and the
New Year's siren hail.
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