~

Leaves sway seductively

In a silky blue sky.

The air is clear,

the breeze an energy drink.

To a background of bird songs,

I wave to the crew mowing lawns,

breathing easily

as I walk the neighborhood,

recalling ten days ago

when emphysema rattled my lungs

and my ribs ached from coughing.

Holed up at home, I watched

through the window as

smoke from Canadian wildfires

stained the sky nicotine yellow,

the same color as the mucus

coming up in my throat,

consequence of years

spent fighting fires

in the American Rockies.

And although I can’t undo

the damage from those years

of wood smoke punctuated

by cigarette breaks,

I can take advantage

of this moment and

breathe in the grace 

that smells today of ocean.

~