Ghost Ships in the Harbour

They stare back at me from their eerie silence, these ghost ships in the harbour, as the smoke from the fires cloaks them in a golden haze. Everything, everywhere is covered in this smoke. My eyes burn and my throat stings, my chest is sore and I struggle for breath as I walk the seawall near my home.

The smoke from the fires is dense and intense. The thickness varies. Today it is very dense as the sun tries to break through, the result of the hundreds of forest fires raging through our province demanding attention. No one can escape the smoke from the fires — no one can deny the attention they seek.

Air quality warnings go out. The elderly are told to stay indoors. Our world is brought to a halt.

Mother earth is warning us of what is to come. She is showing us the consequences of our arrogance and neglect. Not all the fires are the result of lightning. Most are from human negligence and some are even purposely set by misguided souls.

And so Mother earth uses what she can to get our attention, to plead with us, to say “Please stop polluting me, please stop abusing me, please stop your neglect. I can’t breathe. Maybe if you can’t breathe you will notice. Maybe then you will hear me.”

She is crying out for help. She is crying out for justice.

If we don’t respond maybe we will all end up like ghost ships in the harbour.