The searing heat smells of corpses;
White rends the darkness in two.
Rain cascades as thunder booms,
Its daunting roar penetrates the heavens.

A lone tree sways in the tumult,
Leaning against whistling winds;
The eerie cries whip leaves against peeling bark
Flapping in the current.

In the distance I stand
Feet planted firmly,
Witnessing the spectacle.
Might she last till tomorrow?

Limbs
Bending, breaking,
Falling, flying,
Maple and friend swing ever closer to death.

We watch each other writhing,
Facing the night.
Our determination comes not from within
(Where hope lacks home),
But from without.

I battle forward
And triptumbleslide
Down the slope
Until I stop
And lay there.

I lift my head,
See her valiant struggles
And rise.
And fall.
And claw my way to her.

But as I approach a great roar erupts from above
And light flashes where wood once stood.

Logs, twigs, shavings
Hurtle towards me,
Swirl around me,
Slam against me.

A hoarse shout in my throat
When I reach rain-smothered remains
Of Maple.

I fall to my knees
And find refuge amid
The debris.