Another day and the greater Los Angeles area remains soaked in soot.
Another day and the LA fires flex their flames across Eaton and Hurst.
Another day and the California wildfires rage on.
The root cause unknown,
Another day and hikers and hill lovers have long been drawn to Skull Rock,
Another day and the scorched skyline weeps for LA County,
Another day and the fire that tore through the steep slopes that etch over the Temescal Ridge Trail.
Another day and the fierce winds that propelled the Palisades fire, seemingly, seconds after it ignited on January 7, 2025, just before 10:30 a.m. another day and the mystery of how the fires began remains unsolved.
The root cause, unknown
Another day and it’s known that human error is somehow at the root of it.
Another day and The Santa Ana winds sweep down from the deserts, chasing the flame, pushing dust and smoke from wildfires far out over the Pacific Ocean
Another day and Mother Nature’s wrath rages restlessly as the region continues to battle historic and deadly blazes beyond belief
Another day and Mother nature expects humanity to change
To feel the heat of her anger
to understand her pain
She wishes for fresh eyes to see
Her hope rising in the possibilities of all that unfurls,
If only we could keep our vow to love and cherish her above all else.
—
Willeena Booker is a poet, educator and advocate for social justice. Willeena’s poetry affirms Black Identity and culture. Willena’s poems appear in Picture Perfect Poetry Anthology (available on Thrift Books, 2024), FoodWays and Social Justice (available at www.PoetryXHunger.org), and What Is A Friend? What is a Family? Things We Feel and Things We Wear by Pomelo Books available on Amazon. Willeena’s poem, “I Matter”, appears on the Poetry Project‘s BIPOC page, Willeena’s poem “America to Me” appears in Moonstone Press’ Poetry Ink Anthology 2021. Willeena’s poems also appear in Haiku Poetry 2023, 2022 and 2021, NonSense Verse 2021, Oprelle Publications, Rise Up Anthology 2021 as well as being named a finalist in Coming Home to Hope Anthology 2021 (Oprelle Publications). In February 2022, Willeena’s poem “Longing For More”, was selected to kick off the Global Leadership in Agriculture (GLAG) 2022 Virtual Conference. In honor of Black History Month 2022, Willeena’s Poem, “One Voice”, was set to music by world renowned composer Rollo Dilworth. Willeena loves using her poetry as a catalyst for change. Willeena lives in Blue Bell, PA with her family, and her piles of poetry books.
