The AQI

The AQI* has me obsessed.

I check it every hour

And rising numbers get me stressed;

It’s not within our power

 

To change what all the wildfires wrought.

The smoky haze that’s drifting,

Despite how first responders fought,

Is growing and keeps shifting.

 

So miles away, our air is filled

With particles unhealthy

And, though the fighting crews are skilled,

Pollutants are quite stealthy.

 

While venturing outside, we might

Breathe ozone and some oxides,

Invisible to normal sight

But felt inside as toxides.

 

The AQI goes up and down,

With warnings – if you’re older,

Don’t venture out around the town

While fires burn or smolder.

 

*Air Quality Index