City of Ash

by Rebecca Zhang, Rancho Bernardo High School '24

August 5, 2020

Untitled artwork by Angelina Ochoa, Canyon Crest Academy '22

Summer descended down the mountain Fast and furious, Unexpected, in an inferno of dancing embers. Vermillion hands latch onto the trees, Leaving searing scars, Tearing through the skin, Incinerating ashes through the blackened sky, Akin to a flurry of cremated remains. Writhing and contorting, The trees shriek in pain, Scorching bodies, coated in layers of cinder. Eighteen hours passed Ash and pumice carpeted the entire city And as quickly as it made its appearance, Summer departed with annihilation, Brusque and vehement. Beneath the fallen ash, Hope for new life entrenches. May the rain fall on our lands, a renaissance for the future. But in one year’s time, Summer would once again return, As vindictive and volatile as before.