LA COUNTY BURNING

The fires overshadow everything. They fill the hills. They surround the city, decimating the suburbs. Jokes, secret words, and YouTube clips, for the moment, seem superfluous. The sunset was an evil yellow/grey. I find it hard to breath. Just short of a million people have been evacuated and, so far, an area the size of New York City has burned. The temperature topped 90F this afternoon, while the Santa Ana winds randomly gusted and then died down. My home is so damned urban the cat and I are in no real danger, but friends just a few blocks up to the north must be sweating that nothing sparks off in the Hollywood Hills or Griffith Park. The mind can’t help but boggle at the unreality of it all. Firestorm is a terrible word when it becomes possible. Bush will show up here on Thursday like we needed his fucking photo op, and CNN talking head and nationally syndicated radio and wholly psychotic host Glenn Beck brings total insanity to the conflagration by stating, “I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today.” Who gives these bastards airtime? I don’t hate America but there are parts of this country that don’t make it easy to love.

I said music clips were superfluous, but maybe I was too hasty, maybe The Doors are needed. I notice I have already unconsciously quoted Jim. “The hills are filled with fire.”