A firefighter’s lamentation
They do not wander off,
walk around lost,
or even get up from the ground
to search for loved ones.
There is no floating away
into the sky
with gilded wings
to embrace heaven.
Instead,
eyes open
or closed,
they stay here
with me.
—Ibe Liebenberg
Ibe Liebenberg is a lecturer at Chico State University and a firefighter for Cal Fire in Paradise, California. He is also a proud citizen of the Chickasaw Nation.
