Here is my poem that won the CU Boulder Center of the American West Thompson Award in 2014. Written after my second season of wildland fire.
Fire in the Forest
Fire in the forest
Smoke drifts thick and high
Flames leap before us
The column fills the sky
Smoke drifts thick and high
Tired on our feet
The column fills the sky
The days seem to repeat
Tired on our feet
Packs dig into shoulders
The days seem to repeat
The duff nearby smolders
Packs dig into shoulders
We scrape out a line
The duff nearby smolders
We put out the pine
We scrape out a line
We dig through the ash
We put out the pine
Man and nature clash
We dig through the ash
Flames leap before us
Man and nature clash
Fire in the forest