Daniel Ridgway Knight, American
“See, Ethan? Not Only Is This a Good Way To Start a Brush Fire, Now No One Can Prove That I Ever Received This Jury Summons,” 1884
Oil on canvas
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/// This field’s foliage is not green and lush.
They dispose of it by Burning Brush.
It is called “controlled burning,”
unlike Joan’s unchecked yearning
for her handsome (but newly wed) crush.
/// Joan kneels down and, with care, lights the fire.
She’s consumed by enkindled desire.
“I’m the one he’d prefer,
if it weren’t for her.”
Joan pretends it’s his wife’s funeral pyre.
/// The woman Joan hates plays a role
in this task; she is wielding the pole
to ensure that this trash
safely burns down to ash,
and the small flame remains in control.
// Jealous Joan’s fantasies and frustrations
may well lead to some fraught situations.
If the wind grows and shifts
and the spark-filled smoke drifts
toward the town, there could be conflagrations.
/// There are four on this brush burning team.
And they help to douse Joan’s fever dream.
The young boy and his Mama
put a halt to the drama.
Soaked Joan’s head– now she’s letting off steam.
/// But the girl with the long wooden rod
has her own quirks. In fact, she is odd.
As she looks at the flame
she “hears” her whispered name.
Burning bushes are speaking for God!
/// They’ll have burnt the whole woods when they’re done.
There’s no stopping fires once they’ve begun.
Trees must stay held by roots,
(they don’t have feet or boots).
There’s no point yelling: “Run, forest, run!!”