Today we breathe in

the failure of our fathers

in the form of smoke

from the forests burning

in Idaho in Montana in California

all across the west

even if we can’t see the fire

we taste it we smell it

we find it in our pores

the smoke makes ghosts

of the mountains

of the houses

of the places

where we once walked

hand in hand

on our day off

between great pines

now turned to dust

and even the path we took

is erased by the flames

Alexander Shalom Joseph is a writer from Gilpin County. He has two published books and one more forthcoming in the Fall of 2022. For more information and to subscribe to Alexander’s Newsletter go to alexandershalomjoseph.com