Last October, for the second time in three years, my family and I were forced to flee our home in the wake of the Kincade Fire. Fortunately, our home and neighborhood escaped unscathed. Having to decide once again what to take with us as we evacuated was a sobering experience. This is what I took:

Your handprints colorfully painted on stones

And your smiles on a golden autumn day

I took you and me

And the time we laughed so hard we cried

I took Hawaii

And our feet in the sand

I took a Santa Cruz sunset

And our apple tree bursting with fruit

I took our garden

And the rich smell of earth on my hands

I took a quilt

And the love that it was made with

I took music 

And songs yet to be sung

I took your pointy little ears

And the way you curl up at the end of our bed

I took the soft hum of the furnace

That warms our home

I took the creak of the porch swing

The song of the wind chimes

The blaze of the fireplace

I didn’t know what to take

So I tried to take it all