by John Yohe
i
digging scraping cut and chop and rake
pulaskis macleods combis chingaderas
wood and metal swinging in leather hands
down to mineral soil one foot wide
one step one stroke one step one stroke
a row of sweating bodies sweating
'asses and elbows ladies that's all I want to see!'
following chainsaws and their swath around
ash and flame and smoke of fire at night
orange glow in trees embers rising to stars
'how much farther?' 'three more chains!'
'how much farther now?' 'three more chains!'
ii
set to choke and pull cord until it coughs
purring and vibrating and warming up
Stihl and Husqvarna orange chainsaws
first saw team takes the fire edge
two-cycle roar on brush—lower branches
ladder fuels to the forest crown pulled out
by swamper and thrown into the green
next team takes the next five feet et cetera
third and/or fourth team bucks logs into rounds
woodchips stick to sweaty faces and shirts
earplugs narrow down to throbbing heart and steps
spinning metal teeth and blue oil smoke
iii
to cut a tree clear out the area
identify escape routes for you and swamper
make sure tank is full 'Down the hill!'
hold saw horizontally using handle as you sight
front cut one-third into lean bind
pull out come in forty-five degrees down—
pie cut pie wedge should pop out
clean the face while swamper looks for lean
or widowmakers pull the saw around back
one inch above front cut this is important
'Back cut!' even in unless you want to swing it
watch the kerf widen back off—'Falling!'
iv
bringing fire with us torches to the ground
three humans in staggered rows
touching off the dead and down with diesel
holders a chain apart on the line
watching the green but really watching the black
embers and spots or just eating smoke
send more burners in deeper to create heat
sucking in fireline smoke and flame
light off poison oak and thick rat middens
which rats bolt out in dozens screeching
across the line smoldering bringing fire
chased and chopped in two with pulaski blades
v
walking thru ash and burning stumps and logs
sawyers cutting snags and hazard trees
no engines or pumps or even a creek nearby
scrape off black smoking scales with tool blade
take a swig from sooted govt issue water bottle
pucker lips and spray mist onto smoking wood
scoop dirt in gloved hands and pack on top
water turns to steam trapped in mud
forced down into cracks and holes and held
without air one chain in along the fire line
thirty-three feet Division A today
fourteen hours day seven of two-week run
vi
a shower in fire camp after two weeks
of camping out walking through ash all day
digging dirt scraping wood laying hose
naked face and neck tan to red and burned
torso pale like a marble statue
feet as white except where red with blisters
black grime from top of calves to mid-thighs
hands and fingers cracked dry dirt nails
matted hairlocks from sweat under hardhat
clumps wash away w/all the black body ooze
leaving what looks like a rodent in the drain
putting on boots hands get dirty again
Born in Puerto Rico, John Yohe has worked as a wildland firefighter, wilderness ranger and fire lookout. Best of the Net nominee x2. Notable Essay List for Best American Essays 2021, 2022 and 2023.
@thejohnyohe / www.johnyohe.weebly.com