Fire season,
Harvest season,
So much here to do.
Preparing dinner from
Our abundant harvest,
With corn, summer squash,
And tomatoes, too.
I’m deep in the middle
When I hear a sound I know.
Aircraft, helicopter,
Flying close and flying low.
Not just any aircraft
The heavy roar is quite unique.
It’s CalFire up above,
I watch them from the sink.
All the alarms in my head
Go off… Now what to do?
Stay here cooking dinner
Or may it be I’m through?
We don’t see or smell smoke
But planes are circling low.
Shall I stay and cook
Or prepare to go?
With an eye on the action
Checking on the fire apps
I continue with cooking,
I choose not to let it lapse.
Luckily the action stops
The evening calm again.
We can have dinner now,
Danger, it seems, has passed.
— Dottie Simmons
This article appears in Red-Light Women, Part II.