Shoshone National Forest, Meeteese, Wyoming
The fire stripped the forest
However, she is not ashamed of her nakedness
You can see the steepness of her crevices
And each wind of her river
Although the burns are still visible
The forest remains fierce
And still knows who she is
The emotional and physical war is evident
Yet the forest does not blame herself
She continues to supply water to the creeks
And a nurturing habitat to the wild life
She lets us walk her trails but demands
We respect her and the wild life she holds
She became less venerable to fire
And lived on fearless
Only allowing devastation to change her for the better
Her sun still sets and rises again
Only now her reflection in the water shines
Of her red rocks, verse the green robe
That was burnt away
She didn’t loose it all and she didn’t lose herself
The new green that she grows is fresh
And grateful to start again
The forest is not bitter
Nor mad at the world.
