Thread: Season of Fire
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Unread 12-09-2023, 05:19 PM
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Tony Barnstone Tony Barnstone is offline
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I enjoyed it. Not so sure about the call-out to mister Devil at the end. It seems an easy out for the poem. I feel that the issue of forest fires is deeper than the old devil-in-the-woods trope, having more to do with human encroachment on areas that regularly renew themselves and fertilize the soil via wildfires--bad for humans and good for nature. But beyond theme, I note that in this loose meter, something like old English stress meter (2 beats, caesura, 2 beats) you drop the meter at the end

The latent fulminate
season in eucalyptus leaves
is ready to detonate,
season ready to explode.

in these lines, which have 3 beats each. It feels like you are breaking the metrical promise you made earlier in the poem, to me.

Having said that, I enjoyed the language and imagery!
Best, Tony
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