"SUMMERS OF FIRE" the poem, by Stephen Chaffee

 

My quarters at Florida (Flor-ee-da) Ranger Station, 1976

 

I met Steve Chaffee about 14 years ago, when we were both attending a local writers group. With my background as a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service, and him being a retired National Park Ranger, we found we had much in common. Even more so when we discovered we both loved to hike the Santa Rita Mountains of Southern Arizona, where my Forest Service career began.

Fast forward 10 years. Steve knew I painted in watercolors (and had, in fact, purchased one of my paintings about 12 years ago). After his first poetry book published, he wanted to write one specifically about the Santa Rita Mountains, and asked me if I would be interested in providing illustrations for some of the poems, and maybe even the book cover, possibly using the painting he'd purchased from me. Of course I said yes!

After 4 years and 17 paintings later, Steve's book: Wild Ruminations: Poems Inspired by the Santa Rita Mountains (Wheatmark. February 3, 2026) released into the world. I'm so honored to have been asked to contribute to this book! I'm also quite touched that my Forest Service career inspired one of Steve's poems. I'd like to share that poem here:

            Summers of Fire                                                  

 

with sunrise

cold, heavy air descends

steep Florida* Canyon slopes

cascading around and through

mammoth Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine,

Arizona walnut

then over oaks, mesquite, juniper

and an historic work station

built years ago

by Depression-era young men

yearning for a better life

 

            Florida Ranger Station

Forest Service firefighters

train long and hard

for summers of fire

build firelines

bust knuckles

swing Pulaskis

haul packs and gear

chase spot fires

work to exhaustion

tongues like shoe leather

back and shoulders taut as

a charged fire hose

perseverance and grit prevail

over burnt landscapes

 

after a shower and supper

guys and gals meet at a cabin

for cards, music, laughter,

good ribbings, and beer

and perhaps, companionship too

 

            if these walls could talk

what intimacies

what secrets of the heart

what hurt, pride, and loss

would reveal

a fire crew’s

summers of fire

 

 

flor-ee-da*

 

Dedicated to the fire crews of ‘76 ‘77 ‘78