[Bill Dyes]

Ella

Perhap naive on my part, but I quickly trust the voice in this poem. Mainly because it begins with the concerns of the citizens but quickly gains an intimate knonwlege of smoke and flame. Others, I suppose, may distrust the voice for perhaps the same reasons. But the knowledge that allows the narrator to apply such elegance to smoke and flame seems intimate enough and honest enough that I would be assured of my safety.

I especially like how the last stanza is both an aknowledgement of the damage wrought but at the same time a comforting nod to the power of renewal. The moon imagery serves this well. I can find nothing I would trim in any of the stanzas. It was altogether a pleasure to read and reflect on.

Bill