father pernin
brot me to wisconsn
from france
just a presse-papiers
becaus his god
was much bigger
set me on his desk
in peshtigo
tiny wisconsn town
trees an trees n trees
an men to cut them down
mill them nd burn th branchs
octobr 1871
on th very same day
miz oleary her cow an th lantrn
burnd down chicago
peshtigo burned
more peopl died than
in th windy city
but
who ever herd of peshtigo
thats the way it wrks
i suppos
th air was dry for weeks
now a northwst wind rose strong
fr pernin went huntng
nite fell
he was lost in the woods
then a snake of fire on the ground
encircld him
frends helpd him out
back to peshtigo
at dinnr his guest askd
what to do if fire hit peshtigo
'seek th rivr at once' fr. said
he noticd the eery silence
so he buried
surplice stole nd breviary in a trench
but pulld th tabernacl in a wagon
then
serpent flames wound up th trees
hissng wth fiery tongues
crimson air was ful of
burning coal an cindrs
hot blindng smok
sand dust ashes
the factory whistl calld th alarm
soon came th terribl thundr
and th whirlwind reaped
ravenous
fr pernin rode to th house of drunk men
to warn them
but they closd the doors
minuts later the hous was gone
fire jumpd house to hous
panickd horses nayed
chimneys fell
everyon ran to the
river menominee
the fury furnace wind
knockd fr to the ground
where a woman and child lay dead
he raced to th menominne
its banks lined with people
tongues out
still as statues
eyes to heavn
thinking it was
the end of days
fr. pulld a man into the water
othrs followed
up to ther neks
watched trees houses sky on fire
factory swept away
they threw water on each othr
odd baptisms
a woman near him
in breathless terror
held one childs hand nd
a baby pressd to her chest
but bundld linen unwrappd
found it gone -gone!
she waild as mothers do
desolate
eyes wild staring
fixed at th shore
then she drownd
five hours in frigid water
threatnd its own demise
but his shirt caught fire
just moments out of the water
then
the fire slowed
breath came easier
dawn broke
charrd ruins still hot
burnt corpses
church gone
1500 dead
fruitless search for
childrn parents bothrs sistrs frends
no words
still
a small miracle
the taberncl was untouchd
afloat on a log
amidst th charrd carts trunks boxes
chicago
peshtigo
only one is rememberd
look on the world ye mighty
and despair
