Soul Regeneration: A story of devastation, contrast, and survival

My friend emailed me, "Here are some pictures of what the smoke looked like from my house." I was struck by these pictures and told her we needed to share them here. Fortunately, she agreed.

She wrote, "I live approximately 10 miles south of where the fire started and could clearly see the flames from my home. It literally looked like a nuclear bomb exploded."

She wrote, "Here are some pictures I took today at Sugarite State Park. It was the first day they opened it up to the public after the big Track Fire that burned a large area around Raton. I wanted to get the contrast between the black burned land and the new green coming in. It was amazing up there."











I was struck by these pictures and told her we needed to share them here. Fortunately, she agreed. Here is a bit more she wrote about these photos:

Event Background:
"On June 12, 2011 just before noon, the Raton Track Fire began approximately one mile north of Raton, New Mexico. Due to severe drought in the area, unseasonably warm temperatures, and high winds, the fire quickly spread. Within less than a week the Track Fire spread to 27,792 acres in New Mexico and Colorado. An estimated 500 people were evacuated from the northern area of the city of Raton and rural homes north and east of Raton.

I-25, a major interstate running north and south, was closed as the fire raced on both sides creating a dangerous situation for firefighters and the public. Highway 72 and Highway 526 northeast of Raton was also shut down, including Sugarite Canyon State Park. Over 888 personnel were brought in to fight the fire, which included air tankers and helicopters. (I live approximately 10 miles south of where the fire started and could clearly see the flames from my home. It literally looked like a nuclear bomb exploded.) By June 29th, the fire was contained. People were slowly allowed to return home and highways were open to all traffic."


Dear readers, I was so struck by her email about the contrast of the old and new on the first day the park was reopened. I thought there was something very symbolic about it and asked her to write something about these pictures to go with them on the blog. Here is what she penned:

To Be Burned Is To Live Again

Barbed-wire words (whether said or not)
Tragedies
Actions shaving dignity
Rejection piled into mounds of hate
Malignant sense of self
Love withheld
Benign apologies killing hope
All combined to create

Drought
Which left me dry..and bare..and naked….and
Colorless

One spark of depression is all it took
To consume body and soul
Flames leapt from mind to spirit
Until nothing was left
But
Skeleton forms of what should have been
And the color

Black

Compelled to separate
To…
A blue umbrella of compassion
Sheltering laughing yellow rays of warmth
Clear drops of healing rain
Feeding peaceful green sprouts that
Carpeted the journey
To hard-earned joy

All singing together
To Be Burned Is To Live Again

Thank you for
Photos, Email content, and Poem
by M. Stone.

Sincerely,
Danielle