Incantation Against Burning Amazon Rainforests

Amazonia. Orchids, Bromeliads, Lianas, Huimba, Mahogany. Amazonia in agony fires curling and curling smoke from all the burning. Rainforest, rain. Say your name aloud into the wind of it, wind whipping and curling out. Aiolos, ailos, ay. Come by, come by Orchids, Bromeliads, Lianas, Huimba, Mahogany, the plenty, the many, say your name aloud into the wind of it. Bolosonaro. Bolosonaro. His name, coins falling from an open palm into an open palm, coins falling. Open land, open air, open earth, swing open all doors. Oil hinges with oil syllables, Bolsonaro. Bolosonaro. Oil the money so it folds over oil over soil. Folding money, over people, over land over roads over homes over farms. Say your name aloud into the wind of it. Orchids, Bromeliads, Lianas, Huimba, Mahogany in agony fires curling and curling. Burning, the rainforest, say your name aloud into the wind of it, the wind whipping and curling out. Aiolos, ailos, ay. Rainforest. Rain forest, Rain on the forest, rain on the forest, rain. Green the world again, rainforest. Rain forest, Rain on the forest, rain on the forest, rain

________

Stephen Scott Whitaker is a member of National Book Critics Circle, and managing editor for The Broadkill Review. His poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in Oxford Poetry, The Scores, Anderbo, Grub Street, Miracle Monocle and others.

Photo of Brazil’s Amazonas province by NASA Earth Observatory.

________

Nearly 2,000 new fires have started in the Amazon in the past 48 hours despite burning ban from government
[Business Insider]

As the Amazon burns, cattle ranchers are blamed. But it’s complicated.
[National Geographic]

2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires
[Wikipedia]

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