Forest fires are a constant and frightening reality in the West. Fire Season gives you the feeling of being there, but Sue's poetry is not just about fires. In equal measure she shares the rich and ever-changing sensory experience of what you see, feel, smell and hear in these forests with all their splendor, indifference and commanding rawness.
David B. Thorud, Dean Emeritus, College of Forest Resources, University of Washington
Sue Hegyvary writes so passionately and knowledgeably about her subject matter--forest fires--that her lines take on their own light.
Jana Harris, author of Oh How Can I Keep on Singing
Sue's poetry sings! It sweeps you up and breathes life into our majestic trees, while you see people pining for rain and wildlife escaping fire. You are there in fire season in Eastern Washington while darting through the lines of her poetry because you cannot put it down. You want to come back to re-read the poems for their beauty, for the mood they evoke in you.
Helen M. Szablya, former president, Washington Press Association, author of The Fall of the Red Star
Excerpts from Fire Season
Front Line
We got used to thinking forests were supposed to look like
an army in retreat:
spindly trees linking weak arms to stay upright;
lichen covering low limbs like tangled crosses
in a graveyard of fallen comrades.....
July
The forecaster's ominous voice tells of
no rain in sight;
record heat;
dry lightning;
extreme fire danger.....
If Only We Knew for Sure
Tempers flare as hot as summer's heat
at the mention of cutting trees...
It's a war of words
'til smoke pours into town.....
A Day in Fire Season
The horizon turns sick pinkish-brown
as smoke billows from the Tripod fire.....
Hotshots
So young they are ...
facing down the fiery predator
with an axe and a shovel.....
Graveyard
I stop to view the remains
of pines and larches and firs,
some fallen and charred,
some standing like black matchsticks.....
Equinox 2
Keep watch on Dying Summer.....
(c) Sue Thomas Hegyvary 2009
David B. Thorud, Dean Emeritus, College of Forest Resources, University of Washington
Sue Hegyvary writes so passionately and knowledgeably about her subject matter--forest fires--that her lines take on their own light.
Jana Harris, author of Oh How Can I Keep on Singing
Sue's poetry sings! It sweeps you up and breathes life into our majestic trees, while you see people pining for rain and wildlife escaping fire. You are there in fire season in Eastern Washington while darting through the lines of her poetry because you cannot put it down. You want to come back to re-read the poems for their beauty, for the mood they evoke in you.
Helen M. Szablya, former president, Washington Press Association, author of The Fall of the Red Star
Excerpts from Fire Season
Front Line
We got used to thinking forests were supposed to look like
an army in retreat:
spindly trees linking weak arms to stay upright;
lichen covering low limbs like tangled crosses
in a graveyard of fallen comrades.....
July
The forecaster's ominous voice tells of
no rain in sight;
record heat;
dry lightning;
extreme fire danger.....
If Only We Knew for Sure
Tempers flare as hot as summer's heat
at the mention of cutting trees...
It's a war of words
'til smoke pours into town.....
A Day in Fire Season
The horizon turns sick pinkish-brown
as smoke billows from the Tripod fire.....
Hotshots
So young they are ...
facing down the fiery predator
with an axe and a shovel.....
Graveyard
I stop to view the remains
of pines and larches and firs,
some fallen and charred,
some standing like black matchsticks.....
Equinox 2
Keep watch on Dying Summer.....
(c) Sue Thomas Hegyvary 2009
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