End Game - in Flames!

As this troubled year draws to a close
So much has changed; I think of those
Who can no longer share our lives …
Such sadness when the devil drives …

Phaeton’s chariot ignites
Drought-ridden Gippsland – smoke-filled sights
Highways closed, more homes at risk
Year ending has a fatal twist…

Booze-fuelled swimmers risk their days
Off crowded beaches; burning rays
Wreak havoc with skin unprotected
More melanomas are detected …

Dehydrated, many laze and roast
So helicopters roam the coast
Heat warnings should not be ignored;
Alas, more deaths are now deplored.

This year the heat waves top the chart
In “cool” Tasmania flare-ups start
As yachtsmen enter Hobart’s bay
They observe a natural fire display!

Storms in Kimberley, Top End;
Are these extremes a brand new trend?
Australia smoulders in the sun …
Is this the shape of things to come?

(c) Poet in the woods 2019